Read Complaint

TRENTON – New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today joined 19 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other Trump Administration officials to stop the unlawful dismantling of HHS.

Since taking office, Secretary Kennedy and the Trump Administration have fired thousands of federal health workers, shuttered vital programs, and left states without federal support as they face mounting health crises. The attorneys general argue in today’s lawsuit that Secretary Kennedy and the Trump Administration have robbed HHS of the resources necessary to effectively serve the American people and fulfill the responsibilities Congress has required HHS to carry out.

“Instead of responding to urgent public health crises, the Trump Administration is recklessly disregarding the health of New Jerseyans and putting the lives of our state’s residents at risk. Illegally dismantling the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will have grave consequences for our state, cutting off access to critical care for 9/11 first responders, taking away resources from pregnant women, and making it harder for us to respond to the spread of infectious diseases,” said Attorney General Platkin. “President Trump and Secretary Kennedy do not have the legal authority to shut down this department—but they are apparently hell-bent on firing tens of thousands of public health workers and shuttering key programs. We are filing this lawsuit to protect families across our state from this disastrous and illegal shutdown.”

On March 27, Secretary Kennedy revealed a dramatic restructuring of HHS. The secretary announced that the department’s 28 agencies would be collapsed into 15, with many surviving offices shuffled or split apart. He also announced mass firings. On April 1, 10,000 HHS employees across the nation were terminated. Half of HHS’s regional offices were closed, including offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle.

In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that these changes have wreaked havoc across the entire health system. Key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infectious disease laboratories have been shuttered, including those responsible for testing and tracking measles and hepatitis, inhibiting the nationwide response to these infectious diseases.  Hundreds of employees working on mental health and addiction treatment, including half of the workforce at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), have been fired, and all SAMHSA regional offices are now closed.

The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which provides life-saving care to more than 137,000 9/11 first responders and survivors, stands to lose the doctors needed to certify new cancer diagnoses, leaving American heroes without access to the health care they deserve. And pregnant women and newborns are now at greater risk after the firing of the entire CDC maternal health team.

Attorney General Platkin and the coalition argue that these sweeping efforts to dismantle HHS violate federal statutes and regulations, and that the Trump Administration does not have the authority to make these reckless changes. The attorneys general allege that by taking these actions without congressional approval, the Administration is disregarding the constitutional separation of powers and undermining the laws enacted by Congress to protect public health.

The coalition is urging the court to halt the mass firings, reverse the illegal reorganization, and restore the critical health services that millions of Americans depend on.

The coalition’s lawsuit is the latest effort to protect public health in the face of the Trump Administration’s reckless cuts.  On April 1, Attorney General Platkin joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration for abruptly and unlawfully slashing billions of dollars in vital state health funding. On April 4, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Administration, temporarily reinstating the funding.

Joining Attorney General Platkin in this lawsuit, which is being led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

###