Attorney General of Arizona, Mayes, has joined forces with another 19 attorneys general to sue the Trump administration, to put a stop to what they describe as a dismantling of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a press release from May 5th. The lawsuit targets the actions carried out by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the administration that have led to the firing of thousands of federal health workers, the closing down of essential programs, and leaving states like Arizona alone to face health crises.
Programs critically important to Arizonans, such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Head Start, which offer support ranging from keeping families cool during extreme heat to providing children with early education, are at risk due to these changes. "Programs like LIHEAP and Head Start aren’t luxuries—they are lifelines for Arizonans. They keep families cool in our summer months, help children get a fair start in life, and provide critical support in every corner of our state," Attorney General Mayes stated, voicing the potential harm that cutting these programs could have on vulnerable communities. The attorneys general insist that the dismantling, which includes mass layoffs and restructuring of the department, has strained the nation's health system, leaving groups like miners with black lung disease and workers in need of N95 masks without the support they previously had, additionally, infectious diseases like measles may no longer be adequately monitored due to the closure of specialized CDC labs.
Following a drastic restructuring announcement on March 27 by Secretary Kennedy as a part of the "Department of Government Efficiency" initiative, which compressed 28 agencies into 15 and reduced the HHS staff count from 85,000 to 65,000, the attorneys general argue that these actions are in clear violation of hundreds of federal statutes and regulations. Services that were affected include not only LIHEAP but also mental health and addiction treatment programs and the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which serves 9/11 first responders and survivors. With the lawsuit, the coalition seeks to prevent further dismissals, reverse the restructuring, and reinstate vital health services relied upon by millions.
After previous legal action, Attorney General Mayes had seen some success when a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration on April 4, temporarily reinstating billions of dollars in state health funding that had been cut. Mayes, joined by a cross-state coalition led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, including representatives from California to Delaware and even the District of Columbia, took this measure as an assertive stand against what they see as an infringement on the constitutional separation of powers and a disregard for the legislative process and public health protections established by Congress.
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