Attorney General Nick Brown has joined 18 other attorneys general in a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and officials from the Trump administration. The lawsuit aims to halt what they describe as the dismantling of HHS.
According to the attorneys general, since assuming office, Kennedy and the Trump administration have terminated thousands of federal health workers, closed essential programs, and left states to handle growing health crises without federal aid. They argue that these actions have deprived HHS of necessary resources to serve Americans effectively.
“These actions are both plainly illegal and a moral failing. More Americans will suffer from illness, injury, and death without these commonsense programs,” said Brown. “A robust public health system that serves communities with the most barriers to appropriate medical care is vital.”
The administration's measures are claimed to be in violation of numerous federal statutes and regulations. The coalition contends that this disregards constitutional separation of powers and undermines laws enacted by Congress for public health protection.
The coalition is requesting that the court stop the mass terminations, reverse the reorganization deemed illegal, and restore critical health services relied upon by millions of Americans.
In April, Brown participated in another lawsuit with 23 attorneys general against Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration over abrupt cuts in state health funding. This led to a temporary restraining order by a federal judge reinstating some funding.
Alongside Washington, this lawsuit includes participation from New York Attorney General Letitia James, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, and attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin.