A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from scrapping billions in funding allocated to state and local health departments for COVID-19.

U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy granted a 14-day restraining order to a group of nearly two dozen states that filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Hill reports:

The states asked for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to stop the cuts from taking effect. The officials claimed the administration acted unlawfully, without any analysis of benefits of the health funding or the dire consequences of termination.

The HHS said the funds, totaling $11.4 billion, were primarily used for COVID-19 response including testing, vaccination and hiring community health workers. Since the pandemic has ended, the HHS said the funds would be rescinded.

The lawsuit argues the federal government does not have the legal authority to unilaterally rescind funding it already allocated, particularly when states have built essential health programs around the commitments.

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“Judge Mary McElroy called the states’ case ‘strong’ and expects to issue a written ruling. The federal government argued the funds are no longer needed post-pandemic,” Mario Nawfal wrote.

“States say losing them cripples pandemic readiness and essential services. North Carolina and California face losses of $230M and $1B, respectively,” he added.

From the Associated Press:

New York Attorney General Letitia James tweeted about the judge’s decision immediately after the hearing, saying: “We’re going to continue our lawsuit and fight to ensure states can provide the medical services Americans need.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Kane objected to the temporary restraining order in court but she said she was limited in the argument she could make against it, adding that her office was unable to thoroughly review the thousands of documents under the time limitation.

The states’ lawsuit, filed Tuesday, sought to immediately stop the $11 billion in cuts. The money was allocated by Congress during the pandemic and mostly used for COVID-related initiatives, as well as for mental health and substance use efforts. The lawsuit said losing the money would devastate U.S. public health infrastructure, putting states “at greater risk for future pandemics and the spread of otherwise preventable disease and cutting off vital public health services.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has defended the decision, saying that the money was being wasted since the pandemic is over.

State and local public health departments already have laid off people, including nearly 200 employees at the Minnesota Department of Health. North Carolina says it stands to lose about $230 million, and California officials put their potential losses at $1 billion.

 

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