Federal judge halts Trump’s HHS reorganization after Democratic AGs sue

A Biden-appointed federal judge on Tuesday stepped in to halt the Trump administration’s efforts to dramatically reorganize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued to stop the reforms. 

HHS announced in March it would be laying off around 20,000 full-time agency employees, while also reducing the number of regional offices across the country and consolidating several HHS divisions. A fact sheet from HHS about the cuts said the reforms were aimed at making the agency more efficient, saving money and ensuring Americans’ most critical health needs are adequately met.

In response, 19 Democratic state attorneys general sued to block the Trump administration’s reforms. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose granted a temporary injunction in their favor.

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DuBose’s ruling Tuesday temporarily blocks the Trump administration from enforcing its proposed workforce reduction or sub-agency restructuring, and HHS was also ordered to file a status report by July 11. 

“We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient and resistant to change,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in response to the ruling. 

“The reorganization was designed to restore the department around bold, measurable public health goals like reversing the chronic disease epidemic and advancing U.S. leadership in biomedical research. While we strongly disagree with the decision by a Biden-appointed district court judge, HHS remains committed to modernizing a health workforce that for too long prioritized institutional preservation over meaningful public health impact.”

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Nixon added that HHS is reviewing the decision and considering next steps. 

U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose ordered that the Health and Human Services Department, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., must halt its efforts to dramatically reform the nation’s public health agency.  (Getty Images; iStock)

Last month, the Supreme Court limited the use of nationwide injunctions to halt…