James Sues Over Trump’s HHS Dismantling

New York – A bold legal offensive was launched by New York Attorney General Letitia James on May 5, 2025, as she led a coalition of 19 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The lawsuit targets Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his administration’s move to dismantle HHS, which has resulted in thousands of federal health workers being fired, vital programs like Head Start and Medicaid at risk, and crucial infectious disease labs left closed.

‘This administration is not streamlining the federal government; they are sabotaging it and all of us,’ James stated. ‘When you fire the scientists who research infectious diseases, silence the doctors who care for pregnant patients, and shut down the programs that help firefighters and miners breathe or children thrive, you are not making America healthy – you are putting countless lives at risk.’

The restructuring, part of the president’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) initiative, saw the department’s 28 agencies collapsed into 15, with mass firings reducing the headcount from 85,000 to 65,000. On April 1, a shockwave hit as 10,000 employees were locked out of their work email and offices without warning.

Attorney General James argues that these cuts are not only reckless but also unconstitutional, seeking immediate restoration of critical health programs for children and families, including the reopening of infectious disease labs. The lawsuit claims that HHS has been robbed of necessary resources to serve the American people effectively, posing a serious threat to public health.

The restructuring has had immediate and disastrous impacts on programs serving children and low-income families, mental health and substance use services, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), among others. James and her coalition are pushing for an end to this dismantling before more lives are compromised.

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