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Presented by The Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare

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Health Care

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PRESENTED BY

The Big Story

Democratic AGs sue Trump to stop HHS ‘dismantling’

A coalition of 20 attorneys general is suing the Trump administration over what it claims to be the “dismantling” of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the past few months through mass layoffs and the freezing of core functions.

Filed in the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island, the attorneys general argue that the Trump administration is supporting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s goal of “evisceration of the Department.”

They pointed to the layoffs throughout HHS that have effectively eliminated entire offices including Head Start and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. HHS announced plans of laying off 10,000 employees on March 27.

“The World Trade Center Health Program had no doctors to certify new illnesses for coverage,” they noted in their suit.

Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia all signed onto the complaint.

“This administration is not streamlining the federal government; they are sabotaging it and all of us,” New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a statement.

“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.”

HHS officials have insisted that the agency’s massive staffing cuts have been performed carefully.

Kennedy was asked to testify about the restructuring in the Senate Health Committee on April 10, but instead won’t appear until May 14, ostensibly to talk about the White House budget request — which proposes even steeper agency cuts. Kennedy will likely face heated questions on the details of the layoffs.

The attorneys general are asking that the March 27 order be declared unlawful, in violation of the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. They also ask that HHS be prohibited from further enforcing the March 27 order.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads

How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

Trump administration will defend FDA against abortion pill lawsuit, asks for dismissal

The Department of Justice on Monday said a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration seeking to sharply restrict the abortion pill mifepristone should be dismissed, continuing the position of the Biden administration. In a court filing, the Trump administration argued Idaho, Missouri and Kansas have no ties to Amarillo, Texas, where the lawsuit was filed. The states are free to file in their own districts, the DOJ …

Full Story

Trump signs orders on gain of function research, drug manufacturing

President Trump on Monday signed a series of health-focused executive actions, including one cracking down on gain-of-function research, which has been at the center of debates over how the COVID-19 pandemic began. Trump signed the order, which White House officials said provides additional tools to enforce a ban on federal funding going toward gain-of-function research, and strengthens oversight mechanisms around it. The field …

Full Story

RFK Jr. says Jordan’s king ‘cut us off’ on 2,000 Gaza children pledge

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a Politico Magazine article published Monday that the king of Jordan “cut us off” regarding a pledge to take in 2,000 sick Palestinian children. Two months ago, King Abdullah II of Jordan pledged to take in 2,000 sick Palestinian children from Gaza, but Kennedy said Jordan “took 44, and then they’ve cut us off.” “I would encourage him to put the welfare of these …

Full Story

A MESSAGE FROM THE COALITION TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA’S HEALTHCARE

We need Medicaid for a healthy America.

Tell Congress: Don’t Cut Medicaid for America’s Children and Families. Medicaid helps keep more than 30 million children across America healthy, covering regular check ups and so much more. Learn more.

On Our Radar

Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:

The Senate Finance Committee will meet Tuesday to go over the nominations of James O’Neill and Gary Andres for Deputy Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services respectively.
The Senate HELP Committee will hold its own hearing Thursday on the nomination of James O’Neill and of Janette Nesheiwat, who is nominated to be both Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service.

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

National Weather Service no longer translating products for non-English speakers

The National Weather Service is no longer providing language translations of its products, a change that experts say could put non-English speakers at risk of missing potentially life-saving warnings about extreme weather. The weather service has “paused” the translations because its contract with the provider has lapsed, NWS spokesperson …

Full Story

Around the Nation

Local and state headlines on health care:

Missouri mega clinic will provide free heath care services in St. Louis (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
San Francisco breast cancer memorial in Golden Gate Park, a national first, a poignant reminder of lives lost (San Francisco Chronicle)
Rite Aid to close more than 175 pharmacies across New York (Spectrum News)

A MESSAGE FROM THE COALITION TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA’S HEALTHCARE

We need Medicaid for a healthy America.

What We’re Reading

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Trump administration slashes research into LGBTQ health (The New York Times)
World may be post ‘herd-immunity’ to measles, top scientists says (The Guardian)
More babies are being admitted to NICUs (The Washington Post)

What Others are Reading

Most read stories on The Hill right now:

Lawler town hall devolves into chaos

Rep. Mike Lawler’s (R-N.Y.) town hall in his suburban swing district devolved into chaos Sunday evening as attendees lobbed boos and questions … Read more

Trump’s call to reopen Alcatraz faces ‘daunting’ challenges

President Trump’s idea to reopen Alcatraz as a functioning prison is a reflection of his political instincts and personal tastes, even as it is a long … Read more