NEW YORK, CMC – New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 other states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for “abruptly and unlawfully” slashing billions of dollars in vital state health funding for Caribbean nationals and others.
Letitia James
On March 24, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it was clawing back more than $11 billion in funding previously allocated to states for public health, mental health, and addiction initiatives – including nearly $400 million for New York.
The attorneys general argue in their lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, that these “sudden and reckless” cuts violate federal law, jeopardize public health, and will have devastating consequences for communities nationwide.
Attorney General James and the coalition are asking the court to immediately stop the administration from rescinding the funding and prevent the breakdown of crucial health services.
“The Trump administration’s illegal and irresponsible decision to claw back life-saving health funding is an attack on the well-being of millions of Americans,” said James. “Slashing this funding now will reverse our progress on the opioid crisis, throw our mental health systems into chaos, and leave hospitals struggling to care for patients.
“My office is taking immediate action to stop this heartless and shortsighted move and ensure these life-saving programs remain intact,” she added.
In the lawsuit, James and the coalition assert that if funding is not restored, key public health programs and initiatives must be dissolved and disbanded, and thousands of healthcare workers will lose their jobs.
The terminated funds, which the US Congress allocated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, include US$11.4 billion in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for pandemic preparedness, overdose prevention, and community health programs, as well as US$1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for addiction treatment, suicide prevention, and crisis intervention programs.
The attorneys general warn that the revocation of this funding will cause “immediate and irreparable damage” in the Caribbean and other communities nationwide.
They say that programs that provide harm reduction services, medication-assisted recovery treatment, and overdose reversal drugs are set to be slashed just as the nation begins to turn a corner on fighting the opioid crisis and reducing overdose deaths.
“Funding for crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and community-based mental health care is at risk while the nation is currently facing an unprecedented mental health crisis,” the attorneys general argue. “Financial support for hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities will be eliminated, exacerbating already devastating staffing shortages.
“Prevention programs that combat infectious disease outbreaks and future health emergencies are already being gutted,” they add.
In New York, the attorneys general say more than US$400 million in critical funding has been terminated, including over US$300 million for the New York State Department of Health (DOH), Office of Mental Health (OMH), and Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and over US$100 million for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)’s infectious disease detection and surveillance work.
The attorneys general say these cuts are already causing “devastating, far-reaching consequences.”
James and the coalition argue that the federal government has no legal authority to unilaterally rescind funding already allocated, mainly when states have built essential health programs around these commitments.
The attorneys general add that the terminated funds are attached to specific congressional allocations and that, by cutting these funds, the administration is undermining Congress’s constitutional power over federal spending.
This is the latest action Attorney General James has taken to protect New Yorkers, including Caribbean nationals, and the services they rely on from the Trump administration’s attacks.
James is joined in this lawsuit by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the Governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
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