Overview

• A coalition of 20 state attorneys general, led by New York's Letitia James, filed a federal lawsuit to block the Trump administration's restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• The lawsuit alleges the administration violated federal law and bypassed Congressional authority by consolidating 28 agencies into 15 and terminating 20,000 employees.
• Key public health services, including infectious disease tracking, mental health programs, and maternal mortality monitoring, have been severely impacted by the cuts.
• The administration defends the overhaul as a cost-saving measure, estimating $1.8 billion in annual taxpayer savings, and created a new agency, the Administration for a Healthy America, to absorb some responsibilities.
• The plaintiffs are asking the Rhode Island federal court to reverse the directive, restore terminated programs, and reinstate affected employees, with no hearing date yet set.