Press Release: 4/2/2025

AG Campbell Sues Department Of Health And Human Services Over Illegal Public Health Grant Cuts

 

Terminations Include Seven Grants Awarded to Massachusetts, With Outstanding Funds Totaling Approximately $118 Million

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

4/01/2025

MEDIA CONTACT

Sydney Heiberger, Press Secretary

 Phone

Call Sydney Heiberger, Press Secretary at (617) 727-2543

 Online

Email Sydney Heiberger, Press Secretary at Sydney.Heiberger@mass.gov

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today joined a coalition of 23 states and the District of the Columbia in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for abruptly and illegally terminating $11 billion in critical public health grants to the states. 

The grant terminations, which came with no warning or legally valid explanation, have quickly caused chaos for state health agencies that continue to rely on these critical funds for a wide range of urgent public health needs such as addressing infectious disease, fortifying emergency preparedness, providing mental health and substance abuse services, and modernizing public health infrastructure.  

The terminations include seven grants that had been previously awarded to Massachusetts, with outstanding funds totaling approximately $118 million. If the funding is not restored, programs to provide immunizations and vaccines for children, mental health services to adults and kids, in-home services for young adults, and trauma-informed care and services will be put at risk. 

“In a time when emerging public health threats like measles and bird flu are on the rise, the Trump Administration has unlawfully cut funding meant to address these issues, showing us once again that they do not care about the health and safety of our residents or country,” said AG Campbell. “When this Administration takes illegal action that puts Massachusetts residents at risk, my office and I will continue showing up in court to protect them.”  

Congress authorized and appropriated new and increased funding for these grants in COVID-19-related legislation to support critical public health needs. Many of these grants are from specific programs created by Congress, such as block grants to states for mental health and substance abuse and addiction services. Yet, with no legal authority or explanation, Secretary Kennedy’s HHS agencies on March 24 arbitrarily terminated these grants “for cause” effective immediately claiming that the pandemic is over, and the grants are no longer necessary.  

In their lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, the coalition of attorneys general assert that the mass terminations violate federal law because the end of the pandemic is not a “for cause” basis for ending the grants, especially since none of the appropriated funds were limited to the pendency of the pandemic, which ended more than a year ago. HHS’s position, up until a few days ago, was that the end of the pandemic did not affect the availability of these grant funds.  

With this lawsuit, AG Campbell and the coalition are seeking a temporary restraining order to invalidate Secretary Kennedy’s and HHS’s mass grant terminations in the suing states, arguing that the actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act. The states are also asking the court to prevent HHS from maintaining or reinstating the terminations and any agency actions implementing them. 

Joining AG Campbell in filing this lawsuit, which was led by the attorneys general of Colorado, California, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Washington, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin, as well as the Governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.