Press Releases
05/05/2025
Attorney General Tong Sues to Stop Dismantling of Health and Human Services Department
(Hartford,
CT) — Attorney General William Tong today joined 20 attorneys general in filing
a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS), and other Trump administration officials to
stop the dismantling of HHS. Since taking office, Secretary Kennedy and the
Trump administration have fired thousands of federal health workers, shuttered
vital programs, and abandoned states to face mounting health crises without
federal support. The attorneys general argue that Secretary Kennedy and the
Trump administration have robbed HHS of the resources necessary to effectively
serve the American people and will be asking the court to halt further
dismantling and restore key program operations.
“Trump
and RFK Jr. have turned their backs on the health and safety of American
families. They have fired thousands of frontline public health workers, gutted
some of our most effective, lifesaving work, and pushed dangerous, debunked
lies that put us all at risk. And where is all this money going? There is no
plan and no thought—just lawless chaos, and we’re suing today to stop it,” said
Attorney General Tong.
On
March 27, Secretary Kennedy revealed a dramatic restructuring of HHS as part of
the president’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) initiative. The
secretary announced that the department’s 28 agencies would be collapsed into
15, with many surviving offices shuffled or split apart. He also announced mass
firings, slashing the department’s headcount from 85,000 to 65,000. On April 1,
10,000 HHS employees across the nation were terminated. Half of HHS’s regional
offices were closed, including offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York
City, San Francisco, and Seattle.
In
the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that these changes have wreaked havoc
across the entire health system. Miners suffering from black lung disease have
been left unprotected as congressionally mandated surveillance programs were
abruptly shut down. Workers across the country can no longer reliably access
N95 masks following the closure of the nation’s only federal mask approval
laboratory. Key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infectious
disease laboratories have also been shuttered, including those responsible for
testing and tracking measles, effectively halting the federal government’s
ability to monitor the disease nationwide.
Hundreds
of employees working on mental health and addiction treatment, including half
of the entire workforce at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), have been fired, and all SAMHSA regional offices are
now closed. The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which provides
life-saving care to more than 137,000 9/11 first responders and survivors,
stand to lose the doctors needed to certify new cancer diagnoses, leaving
American heroes without access to the health care they deserve. Pregnant women
and newborns are now at risk after the firing of the entire CDC maternal health
team and Head Start centers could face closures after many regional employees
at the Office of Head Start were let go.
Attorney
General Tong and the coalition argue that these sweeping actions are in clear
violation of hundreds of federal statutes and regulations, and that the Trump
administration does not have the authority to make these reckless changes. The
attorneys general allege that by taking these actions without congressional
approval, the administration is disregarding the constitutional separation of
powers and undermining the laws and budgets enacted by Congress to protect
public health. Since its founding, HHS has worked to protect and advance the
health and well-being of all Americans. The attorneys general assert that now,
under this recent restructuring, that mission is in jeopardy.
The
coalition is urging the court to halt the mass firings, reverse the illegal
reorganization, and restore the critical health services that millions of
Americans depend on.
On
April 1, Attorney General Tong joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general in
filing a lawsuit against Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration for
abruptly and unlawfully slashing billions of dollars in vital state health
funding. On April 4, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order
against the Administration, temporarily reinstating the funding.
Joining
Attorney General Tong in this lawsuit, which is being led by New York Attorney
General Letitia James, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, and
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, are the attorneys general of Arizona,
California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine,
Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and
Wisconsin.
- Twitter: @AGWilliamTong
- Facebook: CT Attorney General
Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov
Consumer Inquiries:
860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov