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CHICAGO (WLS) — Attorney General Kwame Raoul of Illinois has initiated a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s decision to reduce public health funding for Illinois and three other states led by Democrats.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the administration intends to withdraw $600 million allocated for public health in these states.
Illinois has consistently taken a stand against similar funding reductions by filing lawsuits to stop them from being implemented.
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The proposed cuts primarily threaten health initiatives that cater to minority populations. Particularly vulnerable are grants focused on combating HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, with a significant program in Chicago facing potential losses.
If the administration proceeds, Lurie Children’s Hospital could see a $5.2 million deficit. This follows reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to terminate funding for the hospital’s program aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS among Black women.
The administration confirmed it is cutting around $600 million in public health funds directed at four Democratic-led states, including Illinois, saying only that “These grants are being terminated because they do not reflect agency priorities.”
The Illinois attorney general says the cuts are based on political differences and harms families.
“Black women in Illinois are 16 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than their white counterparts,” said John Peller, president and CEO of AIDS Foundation Chicago.
Peller said the cuts couldn’t come at a worse time.
“Today, there is about 800 people a year newly diagnosed with HIV in the city of Chicago. And those numbers are going in the wrong direction. It makes tremendous sense to be investing in HIV prevention programs if the concern is about saving money,” Peller said.
For now, Lurie is remaining mostly quiet, saying they are continuing to evaluate what these cuts mean.
“We conduct all of our research to improve the lives of children, adolescents and families,” a spokesperson said Tuesday.
This latest round of cuts comes just weeks after the Department of Health and Human Services moved to halt $10 billion in social services and child care funding to the same four states plus New York, alleging the money is being misused. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a lawsuit to block that effort.
“The president is really interfering with the constitutional right of Congress to have the power of the purse. There have been countless lawsuits,” Peller said.
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