Funding Cuts for COVID-19 Initiatives and Public Health Temporarily Blocked in Federal Court

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from “cutting billions in federal dollars that support COVID-19 initiatives and public health projects.” The AP has the news.

The judge, Mary McElroy, was “appointed by Trump in 2019 but first nominated by former President Barack Obama.” She granted a court order sought by 23 states and the District of Columbia. The court order, as reported by The Hill, asked for “a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to stop the cuts from taking effect.”

The $11 billion that was set to be cut by the Trump administration was “allocated by Congress during the pandemic and mostly used for COVID-related initiatives, as well as for mental health and substance use efforts. The lawsuit said losing the money would devastate U.S. public health infrastructure, putting states ‘at greater risk for future pandemics and the spread of otherwise preventable disease and cutting off vital public health services.’”

There have already been layoffs at state and local public health departments. Departments are taking financial hits as well; North Carolina says “it stands to lose about $230 million, and California officials put their potential losses at $1 billion.”

In addition, the administration canceled “about $1 billion in grants awarded by coronavirus relief legislation and allocated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.” The lawsuit argues that “the federal government does not have the legal authority to unilaterally rescind funding it already allocated.”