Politics

Illinois, Other Democrat-Led States Sue to Halt Trump Administration’s Planned Cuts to Public Health Grants

Illinois has joined three other Democrat-led states in suing the Trump administration over its plans to cut more than $600 million in public health grants, a move that could lead to dozens of layoffs and canceled contracts in Illinois alone.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the new lawsuit, which was filed along with officials from California, Colorado and Minnesota after the Office of Management and Budget’s directive to cut grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a move that could be enacted as early as Thursday.

Raoul said the funding covered under those grants allows states to track disease outbreaks, maintain and improve data systems and collect basic public health data that the CDC itself relies on.

He said the cuts — which would lead to a loss of more than $100 million in funding just in Illinois — would violate the Constitution and have a “devastating impact on basic public health infrastructure.”

“Why is the Trump Administration doing this?” Raoul said. “I want to be clear: This is political retribution and part of the president’s ongoing crusade to force states to implement his immigration and other policies.”

According to Raoul, the largest grant targeted in the possible cuts is the Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant, which he said funds critical short-term infrastructure, workforce needs and long-lasting strategic investments.

Without that funding, Raoul said Illinois would have to cancel 55 contracts supporting strategic planning, data modernization, emergency preparedness, workforce training and community engagement, and terminate nearly 100 Illinois Department of Public Health employees.

“These cuts target programs that benefit the health of all Illinois residents,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement. “These actions will severely harm IDPH programs that provide critical support to local health departments, decrease HIV rates, and promote injury and violence prevention, among other efforts.”

Through the lawsuit, Illinois and the other states have sought a temporary restraining order that would prevent the immediate implementation of the proposed cuts.

“Rather than making life easier and more affordable for our families, Donald Trump is stripping critical public health funding with the singular goal of harming states he does not like,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “It’s a slap in the face to the people of Illinois and the public health leaders who have stepped up as his HHS takes a sledgehammer to public health infrastructure. Illinois will not stand by idly as Trump illegally cancels the Congressionally-allocated funding we are owed.”

---