AFSCME Sues Trump-Vance Over $600M Public Health Grant Terminations

Public Health Programs in Jeopardy Amidst Political Dispute

Massive Funding Cuts Threaten State Health Initiatives

Chicago — The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), along with its Illinois chapter, AFSCME Council 31, has initiated legal proceedings against the Trump-Vance administration. The lawsuit targets a controversial decision to halt hundreds of millions of dollars in vital public health grants distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), impacting states such as Illinois, California, Colorado, and Minnesota, which are led by Democratic governors.

The legal action contends that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) instructed federal agencies to identify and terminate financial grants in states ostensibly penalized due to political differences. Following this directive, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the CDC moved to revoke more than $600 million in funding crucial for disease monitoring, HIV prevention, and other key health services.

This lawsuit arises in the wake of an earlier challenge mounted by AFSCME and Democracy Forward against the administration’s halt of $10 billion in child care and family assistance funds.

The complaint argues that this move forms part of a larger strategy to leverage federal resources as a punitive measure against states, cities, and regions whose political stances differ from that of the administration. The directive in question ordered the reassessment and reduction of financial flows to targeted states.

AFSCME alleges that federal authorities retroactively justified these funding cuts through reports purportedly produced with artificial intelligence tools, asserting a misalignment with agency objectives, despite prior decisions to terminate the grants.

The cessation of funding jeopardizes the efforts of public health departments and endangers numerous public health positions, many of which are held by AFSCME members. These funds are critical to maintaining disease surveillance, emergency readiness, and addressing persistent public health issues. The absence of this support could lead to job losses and negative impacts on community health services.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders stated, “AFSCME members working in public health do the lifesaving work that prevents infectious diseases from spreading and stops outbreaks before they start. But this administration is once again putting our communities at risk for the sake of political retribution...”

Roberta Lynch, Executive Director of AFSCME Council 31, emphasized, “These lawfully appropriated federal funds support the jobs of countless AFSCME members whose work protects public health at the state and local levels...”

Democracy Forward’s President and CEO, Skye Perryman, noted, “Public health should not be political and yet this administration is using critical federal funding as a political weapon...”

The lawsuit contends that the administration's actions breach the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution, asserting that federal agencies lack the authority to withhold funds for political purposes. The plaintiffs seek a court declaration to invalidate the directive and prevent the implementation of the cuts.

Filed as AFSCME v. Vought, the case is managed by Democracy Forward's legal team, which includes Joel McElvain, Cortney Robinson Henderson, Shiva Kooragayala, Kristen Miller, and Yenisey Rodríguez. AFSCME is represented by in-house attorneys Matthew Blumin and Georgina Yeomans.

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