A coalition of attorneys normal from 23 states has sued the Trump administration over its choice to revoke $11 billion in federal well being funding, arguing that the transfer is against the law and endangers public well being throughout the nation.
The lawsuit has been filed in a federal courtroom in Rhode Island.
In line with the information company AP, the transfer goals to dam the administration from pulling again funds that have been initially allotted in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic for testing, vaccination, psychological well being providers and dependancy remedy.
The states concerned within the lawsuit embody New York, California, Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, in addition to the District of Columbia.
“Slashing this funding now will reverse our progress on the opioid disaster, throw our psychological well being programs into chaos, and depart hospitals struggling to take care of sufferers,” New York Lawyer Normal Letitia James mentioned in an announcement Tuesday.
As per the information company Reuters, the US division of well being and human providers (HHS) defended the cuts, stating that “the Covid-19 pandemic is over” and that taxpayer {dollars} ought to not be spent on what the company described as a “non-existent pandemic”.
The funding in query was being utilized by states not just for pandemic-related efforts but additionally for monitoring different infectious illnesses comparable to measles and chicken flu, in addition to supporting psychological well being providers and dependancy remedy applications, reported Reuters.
Native and state well being departments have warned that the sudden withdrawal of funds will result in huge job losses, with some infectious illness groups anticipated to lose as much as 90% of their employees.
