Judge blocks Trump administration’s HHS restructuring plan

Published 01/07/2025, 18:06
© Reuters

Investing.com -- A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from proceeding with plans to restructure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would have significantly reduced its workforce and closed multiple agencies.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose in Providence, Rhode Island issued an injunction following a legal challenge from 19 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia. The states filed their lawsuit on May 5 against the restructuring plan announced in March by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The blocked plan included firing 10,000 department employees and consolidating 28 divisions into 15. The administration also intended to close half of the department’s 10 regional offices.

According to the lawsuit, earlier buyout offers and firings of probationary employees had already reduced HHS full-time staff from 82,000 to 62,000. The states argued this reduction left key offices unable to perform their required functions.

The Democratic attorneys general argued in their lawsuit that Kennedy lacked authority to implement such widespread layoffs and restructuring. They claimed the changes had already resulted in infectious disease labs closing, research being abandoned, and partnerships being suspended.

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