Attorney General Ellison secures order restoring $11 billion in critical public health funding

April 3, 2025 (SAINT PAUL)  —  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today issued a statement on the decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granting a temporary restraining order that immediately restores $11 billion in critical public health funding to state and local public health agencies across the country, including more than $250 million to Minnesota. In issuing the ruling, Judge McElroy said the multi-state coalition’s “likelihood of success on the merits was extremely strong” and noted that that there was a “voluminous record” showing that states were facing irreparable harm as a result of this order.

"Donald Trump's contempt for both the rule of law and the people of Minnesota was on full display when he tried to illegally cut $250 million in public health funding to Minnesota," said Attorney General Keith Ellison. "The funds Trump tried to pull go towards mental health and substance abuse services, emergency preparedness, disease management, and so many other important purposes that benefit Minnesotans. I am pleased to have halted these devastating cuts, at least for the time being, and I look forward to continuing to litigate this case and protect the health and well-being of Minnesotans."   

Beginning on March 24, 2025, HHS abruptly, with no advance notice or warning, issued termination notices to state and local public health agencies across the country, purporting to end federal funding for grants that provide essential support for a wide range of urgent public health needs, including identifying, tracking, and addressing infectious diseases; ensuring access to immunizations; and modernizing critical public health infrastructure. The federal funding was appropriated by Congress to ensure the United States is better prepared for future public health threats.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Ellison joined 23 states and the District of Columbia in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. over the unlawful termination of public health funding. Two days later, the court responded by granting the requested temporary restraining order.