19 States Sue Trump Administration Over “Unlawful” Dismantling of Health Department

A coalition of 19 states, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, filed a federal lawsuit Monday accusing the Trump administration and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of unlawfully dismantling the department in violation of the Constitution’s separation of powers.  

The 96-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, alleges that the administration is intentionally crippling HHS – described as “one of the most sophisticated departments in the federal government” – by systematically firing staff and cutting funding, thereby usurping the authority of Congress which established the department and its programs.  

Since President Punk returned to office, the lawsuit contends, the administration has fired thousands of HHS employees and gutted numerous agencies. The suit points specifically to the dramatic restructuring plan announced in March, spearheaded by Elon Muskrat’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to reduce HHS agencies from 28 to 15 and eliminate between 65,000 and 85,000 jobs.  

“This administration is not streamlining the federal government; they are sabotaging it and all of us,” AG James said in a statement Monday. “When you fire the scientists who research infectious diseases, silence the doctors who care for pregnant patients, and shut down the programs that help firefighters and miners breathe or children thrive, you are not making America healthy — you are putting countless lives at risk.”  

The lawsuit highlights the real-world consequences of these actions, stating that the states are facing mounting health crises without the expected federal partnership. James noted that even the World Trade Center Health Program, providing care to over 137,000 9/11 responders and survivors, is currently unable to certify new cancer diagnoses due to staff losses. While the administration pledged such programs would continue under a new “Administration for a Healthy America,” an internal memo reportedly revealed key staff have already been placed on administrative leave pending termination.

Beyond layoffs, the complaint alleges that remaining HHS employees are being actively prevented from performing their duties, including policy implementation, data collection and distribution, fund disbursement, and responding to public inquiries.

“These actions are both plainly illegal and a moral failing,” said Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, whose state joined the suit. “More Americans will suffer from illness, injury, and death without these commonsense programs.”  

The states argue that dismantling HHS by terminating necessary personnel and creating organizational chaos contravenes the laws Congress enacted to create and fund the department and its programs. They assert the administration’s actions violate the U.S. Constitution and the Administrative Procedures Act (APA).

The coalition, which also includes California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey among others, seeks a court order declaring the administration’s actions unlawful and an injunction to prevent further implementation of the president’s directives aimed at restructuring HHS.