Attorney General Nessel Sues to Stop Dismantling of Health and Human Services Department

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today joined 18 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit (PDF) against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other Trump administration officials to stop the dismantling of HHS. Since taking office, Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration have fired thousands of federal health workers, shuttered vital programs, and abandoned states to face mounting health crises without federal support. The attorneys general argue that Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration have robbed HHS of the staff and resources necessary to effectively serve the American people and will be asking the court to halt further dismantling and restore key program operations. 

“Public health and infectious diseases know no borders,” Nessel said. “Major outbreaks like a measles epidemic in one region can quickly spread to others, including right here in Michigan. The Trump Administration’s decision to recklessly close regional public health programs, CDC laboratories that prevent disease outbreaks, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services regional offices across the country not only jeopardizes public health in every community but also blatantly violates the law and disregards the constitutional separation of powers. I will continue working alongside my colleagues to protect the health and well-being of our residents.” 

On March 27, Secretary Kennedy revealed a dramatic restructuring of HHS as part of the president’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) initiative. 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, cutting 10,000 full-time employees on top of about 10,000 who had left already, which together would slash the department’s headcount from around 85,000 to 65,000. On April 1, the federal government began sending termination notices to thousands of HHS employees across the nation. Half of HHS’s regional offices were closed, including offices in Boston, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. 

In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that these changes will wreak havoc across the entire health system. Miners suffering from black lung disease have been left unprotected as congressionally mandated surveillance programs were abruptly shut down. Layoffs at the nation’s only federal N95 mask approval laboratory threaten to shutter the facility and cut the nation’s supply of N95 respirators. Key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infectious disease laboratories have either been shuttered or hamstrung by staff cuts, including those responsible for testing and tracking measles, effectively halting the federal government’s ability to monitor the disease nationwide.  

Hundreds of employees working on mental health and addiction treatment, including half of the entire 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, which provides life-saving care to more than 137,000 9/11 first responders and survivors, stand to lose the doctors needed to certify new cancer diagnoses, leaving American heroes without access to the health care they deserve. Pregnant women and newborns are now at risk after the firing of the entire CDC maternal health team and Head Start centers could face closures after many regional employees at the Office of Head Start were let go. 

Attorney General Nessel and the coalition argue that these sweeping actions are in clear violation of 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 and budgets enacted by Congress to protect public health. Since its founding, HHS has worked to protect and advance the health and well-being of all Americans. The attorneys general assert that now, under this recent restructuring, that mission is in jeopardy. 

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

On April 1, Attorney General Nessel 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 Nessel in this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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