Other LanguagesSEATTLE — The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island today granted a temporary restraining order that immediately restores $11 billion in critical public health funding to state and local public health agencies across the country, including Washington state.
The temporary restraining order comes in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by a coalition of 23 states, including Washington, and the District of Columbia against the Trump Administration’s U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. over the unlawful termination of public health funding.
“This administration’s attacks on public health are not over, but today’s order should give Washingtonians confidence that programs that prevent the spread of infectious diseases, support mental health and get people out of substance abuse will continue to be funded for now,” Attorney General Nick Brown said.
Beginning on March 24, HHS abruptly, with no advance notice or warning, issued termination notices to state and local public health agencies across the country, purporting to end federal funding for grants that provide essential support for a wide range of urgent public health needs, including identifying, tracking, and addressing infectious diseases; ensuring access to immunizations; and modernizing critical public health infrastructure.
The federal funding was appropriated by Congress to ensure the United States is better prepared for future public health threats.
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