Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration to Protect over $600 Million in Health Funding

Previous attempts by Trump Administration to withhold federal funds from Democratic states have ended in defeat

OAKLAND — Alongside the attorneys general of Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for illegally planning to cut more than $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants, with more cuts potentially to come. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified Congress of its intention to terminate the grants exclusively in four Democratic-led states: California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. The targeted grants fund essential public health infrastructure, as well as testing and treatment for lethal diseases like HIV. Among the four states, California faces the largest share of the proposed funding cuts. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the lawsuit alleges that the funding cuts would irreparably harm the states and are based on political animus. The attorneys general have also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to block the funding cuts from taking effect.

“President Trump is resorting to a familiar playbook. He is using federal funding to compel states and jurisdictions to follow his agenda. Those efforts have all previously failed, and we expect that to happen once again,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Still, all Americans should be outraged. President Trump is not above the law, but he continues to act as if he is. My fellow attorneys general and I will not be silenced. We will continue taking him to court any time he takes unlawful actions.” 

President Trump, on social media and in comments to the media, has repeatedly threatened to withhold funding from states whose policies he disagrees with. Earlier this month, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a Targeting Directive, ordering the CDC to cut over $600 million in public-health funding from California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. Monday’s HHS Notification carries out the Targeting Directive.

The largest grant program targeted for termination is the Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant (PHIG). This program operates in all 50 states — not just in California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota. California and its local public health departments, including the Counties of Santa Clara and Los Angeles, use PHIG funds to strengthen their workforce and ensure that the workforce can perform core functions necessary to protect public health, including disease surveillance and infectious disease control, emergency preparedness and response, laboratory and pharmacy capacity, food security, and support for communities to respond to health risks and emergencies. In California, the largest PHIG grant at issue totals $180 million, of which $130 million is still outstanding.

In today’s lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that the planned funding cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act’s requirement of reasoned decisionmaking and exceed the agencies’ statutory authority and the U.S. Constitution by imposing retroactive conditions on funding.