The Trump administration is being sued by a coalition of 19 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia over accusations it gutted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a “restructuring” effort that slashed thousands of jobs.

The lawsuit, filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, argues that the abrupt elimination of 10,000 HHS employees, the consolidation of 28 agencies into 15, and the closure of half of the department’s regional offices constitute what the plaintiffs call an “unconstitutional dismantling” of the federal health system.

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“This administration is not streamlining the federal government; they are sabotaging it and all of us,” James said in a statement. “When you fire the scientists who research infectious diseases, silence the doctors who care for pregnant patients, and shut down the programs that help firefighters and miners breathe or children thrive, you are not making America healthy – you are putting countless lives at risk.”

The lawsuit could set up a major legal and political clash over the future of federal public health infrastructure, as state leaders argue that the administration’s actions threaten not only programs but lives.

The legal challenge was filed jointly by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

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The lawsuit accused the restructuring, which took effect on April 1, of disproportionately affecting “disfavored work and programs” at certain agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. The lawsuit also alleges that due to the changes, the FDA was unable to process a pivotal vaccine application and canceled a bird flu testing program, which plaintiffs say will now be suspended for the remainder of 2025.

“In its first three months, Secretary [Robert F.] Kennedy [Jr.] and this administration deprived HHS of the resources necessary to do its job,” the suit alleges. “The terminations and reorganizations happened quickly, but the consequences are severe, complicated, and potentially irreversible.”