California leads a coalition of Democrat-run states in a legal battle against Trump’s HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over substantial budget cuts that could reshape America’s health infrastructure.
Key Insights
- A coalition of 19 states and D.C. has sued to block Kennedy’s firing of 10,000 HHS employees and closure of regional offices
- The lawsuit claims the cuts violate constitutional norms and exceed presidential authority by bypassing Congress
- Kennedy defends the restructuring as necessary to eliminate waste and save $1.8 billion annually
- States report immediate impacts including halted FDA vaccine approvals and suspended infectious disease testing
Democrat-Led States Challenge Kennedy’s Federal Health Department Overhaul
A coalition of 19 Democrat-controlled states and the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The legal action, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, seeks to reverse Kennedy’s directive to terminate approximately 10,000 HHS employees, consolidate department divisions, and close regional offices across the country. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading the charge, with support from other blue states including New York, Washington, and Arizona.
The states contend that Kennedy’s restructuring efforts, which aim to save $1.8 billion annually, have created immediate operational chaos within the department. Critics argue the cuts have significantly impaired critical health functions that Americans depend on, particularly affecting agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other public health-focused divisions.
Nineteen Democratic-led states plus the District of Columbia sued HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday, saying his ongoing reorganization of the federal health bureaucracy incapacitated core functions and deprived the states of federal funds and expertise.
The lawsuit… https://t.co/HJPk2gzWKF pic.twitter.com/es5RPXhurL
— Melissa Hallman (@dotconnectinga) May 5, 2025
Constitutional Questions and Immediate Health Impacts
The lawsuit directly challenges the administration’s authority to make such sweeping changes without congressional approval. The plaintiffs argue that the reorganization violates both the Administrative Procedure Act and constitutional separation of powers by effectively preventing the department from fulfilling its congressionally mandated responsibilities. The legal complaint details how the restructuring affects federal agencies that states rely on for various public health initiatives.
“The Trump Administration does not have the power to incapacitate a department that Congress created, nor can it decline to spend funds that were appropriated by Congress for that department” stated the administration.
According to court documents, the sudden termination of employees on April 1 created immediate operational paralysis. The lawsuit describes abandoned experiments, canceled trainings, and suspended partnerships. Specific examples cited include the FDA missing vaccine application deadlines and canceling a critical bird flu virus test, which suspended that testing program for the entire year. Many offices reportedly lacked staff to perform basic statutory functions or even answer phones.
Kennedy Defends Restructuring as Efficiency Measure
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has defended the controversial cuts as necessary to streamline operations and eliminate bureaucratic waste. His vision for restructuring HHS focuses on addressing chronic illness through prioritizing food safety, clean water, and eliminating environmental toxins. The department maintains that all changes are legal and align with a broader Trump administration executive order to reduce government inefficiency.
“On April 1, 2025, when the termination notices went out and employees were immediately expelled from their work email, laptops, and offices, work across the vast and complicated Department came to a sudden halt. Throughout HHS, critical offices were left unable to perform statutory functions. There was no one to answer the phone, factories went into shutdown mode, experiments were abandoned, trainings were canceled, site visits were postponed, application portals were closed, laboratories stopped testing for infectious diseases, such as hepatitis, and partnerships were immediately suspended.” states the lawsuit.
In a notable acknowledgment, Kennedy has admitted that approximately 20% of the workforce reductions may have been errors. Critics, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have characterized the restructuring as “shortsighted,” particularly regarding the closure of HHS’s San Francisco regional office. The lawsuit marks the 17th legal challenge that California Attorney General Bonta’s office has filed against the Trump administration since the president’s return to office.
Sources:
- 20 Blue States Sue to Reverse HHS Cuts
- California and other states sue to block Trump administration cuts to health department
