New York and a group of 22 other states and Washington, D.C. filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday attempting to reverse billions in federal funding cuts that are expected to decimate infectious disease surveillance and mental health programs.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Rhode Island, targets the administration’s abrupt cancellation of more than $12 billion in Covid relief funds last week. The administration justified the decision, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, by stating that “the Covid-19 pandemic is over,” despite the fact that the dollars were used for future pandemic preparedness programs, mental health initiatives and overdose prevention efforts.
The coalition is asking the court to immediately block the cuts, marking the latest move by state attorneys general to halt President Donald Trump’s actions to halt public health funding.
The federal cuts slashed New York’s public health funding by more than $400 million, including an over $360 million cut to state health agencies and a $100 million reduction to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, according to state estimates.
Those cuts have already started to have “devastating” consequences, Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. At least 23 public health employees statewide have been laid off and more than 200 local health organizations have lost funding for efforts that address food insecurity, maternal health and mental illness, according to the attorney general’s office.
“Most importantly, New York state’s ability to manage infectious diseases, support vulnerable populations and maintain critical health infrastructure is now in jeopardy, and there are long-term risks for public health preparedness and equity,” James said.
The attorneys general asked the court to block the public health funding cuts, arguing that the Trump administration can’t legally rescind funding that it already allocated and does not have the power to undermine Congress’s authority to make decisions about federal spending.
