Public Health Funding

Trump Administration Cuts $600M in HIV Funds to Democrat-Led States

Beginning the week of February 9, the Trump administration initiated cuts to $600 million in funding designated for HIV and STD prevention and tracking in California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. These suspensions of grants to public health agencies, hospitals, NGOs, and universities will impact critical research, outbreak monitoring, and pre-exposure prophylaxis programs. The Department of Health and Human Services stated the cuts reflect shifting agency priorities, though attorneys general in the affected states have filed suit, alleging the actions are retaliatory for state resistance to the administration’s immigration agenda and unconstitutional interference.

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23 States Sue Trump Administration Over $12 Billion in Public Health Cuts

Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., are suing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the unlawful rescission of $12 billion in public health funding. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the cuts, which will reportedly eliminate crucial public health services and cost thousands of healthcare jobs. The states argue that the funds, while initially allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic, supported long-term public health infrastructure and were not solely for pandemic response. The plaintiffs contend that HHS lacks the authority to unilaterally rescind congressionally appropriated funds, thereby undermining the legislative branch’s power.

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