Washington joins states suing to stop dismantling federal Health and Human Services

SEATTLE — Attorney General Nick Brown today joined 18 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other Trump administration officials to stop the dismantling of HHS.

Since taking office, Kennedy and the Trump administration have fired thousands of federal health workers, shuttered vital programs, and abandoned states to face mounting health crises without federal support. The attorneys general argue that Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration have robbed HHS of the resources necessary to effectively serve the American people.

“These actions are both plainly illegal and a moral failing. More Americans will suffer from illness, injury, and death without these commonsense programs,” Brown said. “A robust public health system that serves communities with the most barriers to appropriate medical care is vital.”

The administration has wreaked havoc across the entire health system through their reckless and illegal cuts. Among the examples are

• Miners suffering from black lung disease have been left unprotected as congressionally mandated surveillance programs were abruptly shut down.
• Workers have lost reliable access N95 masks following the closure of the nation’s only federal mask approval laboratory.
• Key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infectious disease laboratories have been shuttered, including those responsible for testing and tracking measles, effectively halting the federal government’s ability to monitor the disease nationwide.
• Hundreds of employees working on mental health and addiction treatment, including half of the entire workforce at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), have lost their jobs, and all SAMHSA regional offices are now closed.
• Pregnant women and newborns are now at risk after the firing of the entire CDC maternal health team and Head Start centers could face closures after many regional employees at the Office of Head Start were let go.
• The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which provides life-saving care to more than 137,000 9/11 first responders and survivors, has lost the doctors needed to certify new cancer diagnoses, leaving American heroes without access to the health care they deserve.

These sweeping actions are in clear violation of hundreds of federal statutes and regulations. The administration is disregarding the constitutional separation of powers and undermining the laws and budgets enacted by Congress to protect public health.

The coalition is urging the court to halt the mass firings, reverse the illegal reorganization, and restore the critical health services that millions of Americans depend on.

In April, Brown joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration for abruptly and unlawfully slashing billions of dollars in vital state health funding. Days later, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Administration, temporarily reinstating the funding.

Joining Washington in this lawsuit – led by Brown, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha – are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

A copy of the complaint is available here.

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