Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings joins a bipartisan coalition of states suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
The lawsuit is for abruptly terminating nearly $12 billion in public health grants to the states which the coalition labels illegal.
Delaware stands to lose more than $38 million, and if the funding is not restored state public health programs and initiatives will be dissolved or disbanded.
The cancellations would include investments in COVID immunizations, community health workers and mental health services.
The states claim the grant terminations came with no warning or legally valid explanation, quickly causing chaos for public health agencies that rely on the funds.
Some of the urgent public health needs the funding would go towards include infectious disease management, fortifying emergency preparedness, and modernizing public health infrastructure.
“With measles and bird flu on the rise, we need to reinforce public health, not undermine it,” said Jennings. “Rural communities will be among the first to suffer, but make no mistake — nobody is immune from the impact of these cuts. We’re going to continue to fight this Administration’s unconstitutional efforts to bypass Congress.”
The reason for the cuts was “for cause” claiming the pandemic is over and the grants are no longer necessary.
The states argue that reasoning is illegal because the end of the pandemic is not a “for cause” basis for ending the grants since none of the funds are tied to the end of the pandemic which was more than a year ago.
The lawsuit also claims that “for cause” is not a permissible reason for termination for some of the grants.
They’re seeking a temporary restraining order to invalidate Secretary Kennedy’s decision. Delaware is joined by 22 states and the District of Columbia in the lawsuit.
