New York Attorney General Letitia James and 19 other state and District of Columbia attorneys general on Monday sued the Trump administration for its "unconstitutional dismantling" of the Department of Health and Human Services.
James, who is leading the lawsuit, called the restructuring a "sweeping and unlawful assault" that will endanger lives.
"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."
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. restructured the agency in March, eliminating more than 10,000 employees and collapsing 28 agencies under the sprawling HHS umbrella into 15, the attorneys general said.
An additional 10,000 employees had already been let go by President Donald Trump's administration, according to the lawsuit, and combined the cuts stripped 25% of the HHS workforce.
The attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and D.C. signed onto the complaint, which was filed in federal court in Rhode Island on Monday.
The lawsuit claims the cuts will have "severe, complicated, drawn-out, and potentially irreversible" consequences.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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