Biden-appointed judge halts Trump HHS overhaul after Democrat-led lawsuit

A Biden-appointed federal judge on Tuesday stepped in to halt the Trump administration's efforts to dramatically reorganize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued to stop the reforms. 

HHS announced in March it would be laying off around 20,000 full-time agency employees, while also reducing the number of regional offices across the country and consolidating several HHS divisions. A fact sheet from HHS about the cuts said the reforms were aimed at making the agency more efficient, saving money and ensuring Americans' most critical health needs are adequately met.

In response, 19 Democratic state attorneys general sued to block the Trump administration's reforms. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose granted a temporary injunction in their favor.

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DuBose's ruling Tuesday temporarily blocks the Trump administration from enforcing its proposed workforce reduction or sub-agency restructuring, and HHS was also ordered to file a status report by July 11. 

"We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient and resistant to change," HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in response to the ruling. 

"The reorganization was designed to restore the department around bold, measurable public health goals like reversing the chronic disease epidemic and advancing U.S. leadership in biomedical research. While we strongly disagree with the decision by a Biden-appointed district court judge, HHS remains committed to modernizing a health workforce that for too long prioritized institutional preservation over meaningful public health impact."

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Nixon added that HHS is reviewing the decision and considering next steps. 

Last month, the Supreme Court limited the use of nationwide injunctions to halt President Donald Trump's executive actions. 

However, the ruling did not shut the door on legal challenges to Trump's executive orders. 

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In DuBose's ruling Tuesday, she asked both parties to address how that ruling affects the scope of her order, if at all, by July 11. 

"HHS is the backbone of our nation’s public health and social safety net – from cancer screenings and maternal health to early childhood education and domestic violence prevention," said New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the 19 state attorneys general who sued to stop the Trump administration's reduction in force at HHS. 

"Today's order guarantees these programs and services will remain accessible and halts the administration’s attempt to sabotage our nation’s healthcare system. My office will continue fighting to stop this unlawful dismantling and defend the essential services that protect our most vulnerable communities."

Since the Trump administration began its restructuring at HHS, some employees who were let go have been brought back. 

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During a CBS News interview in April, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, in some instances, personnel were cut that should not have been. 

"We're reinstating them. And that was always the plan. Part of the — at DOGE, we talked about this from the beginning, is we're going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we'll make mistakes," Kennedy said in April.