PROVIDENCE, RI — On May 16, a federal judge in Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to halt an $11 billion block on public health grants. The court’s decision requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to restore the funding while a broader legal challenge proceeds.
United States District Judge Mary S. McElroy ruled that HHS’s move to stop the grants overstepped Congress’s constitutional authority to control federal spending. The injunction was granted in response to a lawsuit filed by Rhode Island and a coalition of 22 state attorneys general.
“HHS’ Public Health Funding Decision usurped Congress’s power to control these public health appropriations,” Judge McElroy wrote in her ruling. The injunction demands that the department reinstate the funds pending the resolution of the case.
The dispute stems from a March 24 directive by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which led to a suspension of COVID-related public health grants. The department sent termination notices to recipients, citing the official end of the pandemic as justification for ending the funding. However, Congress had not authorized this action or issued any formal order to rescind the grants.
Congress holds the exclusive power to appropriate federal funds, and the judge emphasized that the department’s unilateral decision to block the grants violated that authority. “Congress did not grant HHS authority to rescind or reallocate the funds, nor did it authorize such drastic action,” McElroy stated.
This move by HHS is part of a series of contested actions by the Trump administration that critics say challenge Congressional oversight, undermine judicial independence, and weaken federal agencies.
Judge McElroy noted that while Congress reviewed and rescinded some COVID-era appropriations during a 2023 spending review, it did not grant HHS permission to reallocate or cancel these specific grants. The funds affected by the suspension support a wide array of state public health programs, including responses to infectious diseases like measles and avian influenza, childhood immunization efforts, emergency preparedness, mental health and substance abuse services, and upgrades to public health infrastructure.
Without this funding, many critical public health programs could be disrupted, the judge warned in her decision. She also pointed out that HHS has a legal obligation to spend the appropriated funds according to legislative directives.
In particular, McElroy highlighted that under the CARES Act, Congress specified that the funds should support public health data surveillance, infrastructure improvements, disease detection, emergency response, and other preparedness activities beyond the pandemic.
Attorney General Peter Neronha of Rhode Island, who helped file the lawsuit alongside other state attorneys general, called the injunction a significant victory. “If we don’t have our health, we don’t have anything, and that’s why today’s preliminary injunction is such a critical win,” Neronha said.
He criticized Secretary Kennedy for publicly expressing skepticism about his own medical advice while simultaneously overseeing efforts to cut billions in funding for essential public health initiatives. “By attempting to eliminate critical funding for childhood vaccination, addressing health disparities, and supporting laboratory testing capacity, the administration puts American lives at risk,” Neronha said.
He added that a “hacksaw approach” to reducing government funding will not yield positive results and pledged to continue fighting in court to protect the public’s health.
The lawsuit is jointly led by Attorney General Neronha and his counterparts from Colorado, California, Minnesota, and Washington. It is supported by the attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
The preliminary injunction marks a significant legal check on the administration’s efforts to alter public health funding without Congressional approval, reinforcing the constitutional balance of powers and the critical role of state-level public health programs.
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1 comment
Great 😃