Attorney General Neronha co-leads lawsuit against Trump administration to halt dismantling of HHS

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha announced on Monday that he co-led a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and other Trump administration officials to halt the dismantling of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and restore critical health services.

According to Neronha, thousands of federal health workers have been fired by the Trump administration, including 10,000 HHS employees who were fired on April 1. On the same day, half of the HHS offices across the country were closed.

Without these programs, Neronha said the Trump administration has “abandoned states to face mounting health crisis without federal support” and “robbed HHS of the resources necessary to effectively serve the American people.”

In Rhode Island, Neronha said the state has lost over $1.9 million in funding, and could lose more grants, staff, programs, and data. Without the support of HHS funding, Neronha said maternal mortality studies and prevention; treatment for nicotine and alcohol addiction; and air quality monitoring have been impacted in Rhode Island.

In the lawsuit, the coalition argue the cuts to HHS violate hundreds of federal laws and regulations, and that the Trump administration does not have this authority. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that ” by taking these actions without congressional approval, the administration is disregarding the constitutional separation of powers and undermining the laws and budgets enacted by Congress to protect public health.”

The coalition of 21 total attorneys general include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont.