BREAKING: A federal judge has just temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from slashing over $600 million in public health grants affecting Illinois and three other states. This decision comes just one day after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition to challenge the cuts in federal court.
Judge Manish S. Shah, presiding in the Northern District Court of Illinois, issued the temporary restraining order citing that the attorneys general involved are “likely to succeed” in their arguments against the cuts, which he deemed “arbitrary, capricious or unconstitutional.” The ruling is a significant move to protect essential funding for health initiatives in California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota.
Attorney General Raoul criticized the cuts, stating that Trump’s administration is “playing politics” with vital public health resources. The cuts would have severely impacted HIV tracking and lead poisoning prevention programs, putting at risk the health of thousands in Illinois. Raoul emphasized that the judge’s order ensures that funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue while the case is pending.
“Targeting four Democrat-run states that are standing up to his completely unrelated immigration policies is a transparent attempt to bully us into compliance,” Raoul stated. The funding cuts would have forced the Illinois Department of Public Health to eliminate nearly 100 jobs and disrupt critical health services.
The judge’s ruling halts at least $29 million in grants that include support for family planning and essential HIV prevention programs. Notably, $7.2 million was earmarked for the American Medical Association in Illinois, which advocates for gender-affirming care, alongside $5.2 million set to be cut from an HIV prevention initiative at Lurie Children’s Hospital.
These cuts posed a significant threat to the state’s HIV surveillance system, crucial for tracking outbreaks, and would have ended lead poisoning prevention grants to 25 local health departments.
This legal victory is part of a broader trend, as Raoul and other attorneys general continue to challenge the federal government’s policies. In September, Raoul was instrumental in securing the release of $2 billion in federal disaster relief funding, previously held up due to sanctuary city policies.
As the situation develops, all eyes will be on the ongoing legal battle and its implications for public health funding across the nation. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has yet to respond to this latest ruling, leaving many questions unanswered about the future of these critical health programs.
Stay tuned for further updates as this story unfolds.
