The coalition of 20 Democratic attorneys general, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, claims the massive layoffs and restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is dangerous, leaving the remaining employees with none of the resources they need to serve Americans.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island, seeks to immediately restore critical health programs for children and families.
James is joined in the lawsuit by 19 attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
The coalition called the dismantling of HHS unconstitutional. The decision to fire thousands of employees and radically restructure the department has “erased decades of public health progress and left HHS unable to executive many of its most vital functions,” said James in a statement about the lawsuit.
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on March 27 when he announced his plans that the restructuring will make the agency more responsive and efficient and will save taxpayers $1.8 billion a year. “We aren't just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” he said.
Immediate impacts of HHS overhaul
But James said the administration is not streamlining the federal government: they are sabotaging it. The impact of the restructuring has been disastrous and immediate, according to James:
- HHS regional offices have shut down.
- Grant funding has been frozen.
- Mental health and substance use services have been completely gutted. Half of the entire workforce at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was let go and all 10 regional offices closed. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline team was slashed, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health was halted, and the nation’s tobacco prevention agency was dismantled.
- Programs aiding children with disabilities, youth experiencing homelessness, and preschool development have been left in limbo.
- Staff responsible for maintaining the federal poverty guidelines have been fired, a move that leaves states vulnerable as they rely on the staff to determine eligibility for food assistance like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, housing support, Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
- The entire team running the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program was terminated.
- The entire maternal health team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was fired, which James said has led to the collapse of the nation’s maternal mortality monitoring efforts.
- The federal fertility tracking program was shut down, stripping families of crucial information on access to IVF and family planning services.
- Much of the staff at the CDC Division of Violence Prevention were fired or placed on leave.
- Sweeping layoffs at the Administration for Community Living stand to devastate services for individuals with disabilities.
- Scientists who have worked on the HIV/AIDS response have been fired and prevention initiatives eliminated.
The coalition claims the impacts are not just collateral damage, but the administration’s intended result. They allege the administration has violated hundreds of laws, bypassed congressional authority, and trampled the constitutional separation of powers, ignoring laws that Congress enacted to protect public health and taking reckless action without regard for the consequences.