Court blocks $11 billion in HHS funding cuts after Attorney General Ellison sues

Preliminary injunction will block funding cuts for the duration of Minnesota’s lawsuit against HHS; Minnesota spared $275 million in cuts

May 16, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Ellison issued the following statement after a federal district court in Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. from illegally terminating $11 billion in critical public health funding for the states, including $275 million for Minnesota:

“I will say as often as I need to that Donald Trump is not a king. Trump and his administration cannot simply ignore or overrule the laws Congress passes and the funding Congress allocates. The Trump administration’s deep cuts to public health preparedness are outrageous, especially in the wake of a global pandemic that illustrated just how essential it is to be ready for whatever comes our way. I am pleased that we have won a temporary block to these harmful funding cuts, and I look forward to continuing to protect the health and well-being of Minnesotans by litigating this important case.”

On April 1, Attorney General Ellison co-led a coalition in suing Secretary Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services for throwing states across the nation into chaos by cancelling $11 billion in critical public health grants, including $275 million in grants to Minnesota.

Those cuts threatened Minnesota’s emergency preparedness and response activities for infectious diseases such as avian influenza and tuberculosis, as well as for viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa. The terminations also risked harming state efforts to bolster the capacity of the public health workforce in the areas of disease surveillance, detection, and outbreak response, as well as efforts to expand and strengthen the capacity of public health laboratories to test and conduct surveillance for COVID-19 and other emerging diseases.

Today’s preliminary injunction will last for the duration of Minnesota’s lawsuit against Secretary Kennedy and HHS.