Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 19 of his counterparts filed a federal lawsuit this week to block the Trump administration’s sweeping dismantling of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a move they argue has left states scrambling to manage mounting health crises without crucial federal support.
The lawsuit, filed against the administration, HHS, and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., comes after months of upheaval. Since January, thousands of federal health workers have been terminated, key programs have been shuttered, and health agencies nationwide are struggling to fill the gaps.
“Since its founding, HHS has administered crucial offices and programs dedicated to protecting and advancing the health and well-being of all Americans,” Raoul said. “Programs like Head Start are critical to ensuring all children have access to resources that put them on an early path to success. And tracking diseases like the measles is more important than ever. I am proud to once again stand with my colleagues, this time urging the court to halt the mass firings, reverse the illegal reorganization and restore critical health services Illinoisans and all Americans depend on.”
The sweeping changes to HHS were first announced on March 27 as part of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. Under the plan, HHS would be reduced from 28 agencies to 15, and the workforce slashed from 85,000 to 65,000 employees. Just days later, on April 1, 10,000 HHS employees were terminated nationwide, and half of the department’s regional offices—including the one in Chicago—were shut down.
The lawsuit filed by Raoul and his colleagues paints a grim picture of the fallout:
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Miners suffering from black lung disease have lost access to mandated surveillance programs that were abruptly ended.
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Workers across the country can no longer reliably access N95 masks after the closure of the nation’s only federal mask approval laboratory.
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Key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) labs responsible for infectious disease monitoring, including measles tracking, have been closed, leaving a major gap in federal disease surveillance.
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Hundreds of employees at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have been fired, shuttering all SAMHSA regional offices and jeopardizing mental health and addiction treatment efforts.
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Pregnant women and newborns are at increased risk following the firing of the CDC’s entire maternal health team.
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Head Start centers could face closures after significant layoffs at the Office of Head Start.
Raoul and the coalition argue that the administration’s actions violate hundreds of federal laws and regulations by bypassing Congress and the constitutionally mandated separation of powers.
The lawsuit follows a related legal action the coalition filed on April 1, challenging the administration’s abrupt cuts to billions of dollars in state health funding. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on April 4, reinstating that funding—for now.
Joining Illinois in this latest lawsuit are attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
As the legal battle unfolds, state leaders warn that the stakes are nothing less than the health and well-being of millions of Americans.