Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined 18 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Trump administration officials. The lawsuit aims to stop the dismantling of HHS, which has involved firing thousands of federal health workers and closing vital programs.
"Every Minnesotan and every American should be outraged that in the midst of a deadly measles outbreak and just after a pandemic that killed well over a million Americans, the Trump Administration is trying to make us not healthier, but sicker," said Attorney General Ellison. "Congress funds HHS to improve the health and well-being of the American people, and Trump slashing the HHS staff that track and fight measles or help Americans battling addiction clearly contradicts the authority of Congress."
The restructuring, part of President Trump's “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative, was announced by Secretary Kennedy on March 27. It involves reducing HHS's agencies from 28 to 15 and cutting staff from 85,000 to 65,000. On April 1, 10,000 employees were terminated nationwide.
The changes have disrupted various health services across the country. Programs for miners with black lung disease have been shut down, N95 mask availability has decreased due to lab closures, and CDC labs responsible for infectious disease monitoring have closed. Additionally, mental health services have been affected with layoffs at SAMHSA.
Attorney General Ellison argues these actions violate federal statutes and regulations as they lack congressional approval. The coalition seeks to reverse these changes through court intervention.
This lawsuit follows another legal action led by Ellison on April 1 against similar cuts in state health funding. A temporary restraining order reinstated this funding on April 4.
Joining Ellison are attorneys general from New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin.