New York, other states sue over Trump administration cuts to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

New York Attorney General Letitia James and 19 of her counterparts are suing over the Trump administration’s cuts to staff and programs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, charging that the budget slashing puts lives at risk.

The lawsuit, which was filed Monday in federal court in Rhode Island, argues that the termination of thousands of jobs at the department, the halting of essential experiments, and cuts to initiatives like the World Trade Center Health Program have been disastrous and have harmed Americans. The coalition argues that the restructuring of the department is illegal and usurps the authority of Congress. It asks the court to reverse the actions.

"This administration is not streamlining the federal government; they are sabotaging it and all of us," James said in a Monday 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."

In March, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it would be slimmed down as part of the Trump administration's overall cost-cutting efforts. In a news release, the department said its 28 divisions would be reconfigured into 15, its workforce would be slashed, and several regional offices would close.

"We aren't just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic," Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the news release. "This Department will do more — a lot more — at a lower cost to the taxpayer."

HHS said in an email that it doesn't "comment on pending or ongoing legal matters."

On April 1, 10,000 employees at the department began finding out that their jobs were terminated. As a result of the department's job cuts, the lawsuit argues, labs closed and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maternal health team was terminated, among other changes, according to a statement from James' office.

For instance, a laboratory that monitored "complex sexual transmission infections" was shut down and lost its 77 scientists, the lawsuit said.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, which is part of the CDC and whose work includes preventing congenital disorders like spina bifida, had more than 40% of its public health officials and scientists placed on leave, the lawsuit said.

The staff of a program that assists low-income households with energy costs has been fired, court documents show.

The World Trade Center Health Program, which tracks and treats those with 9/11-related illnesses, is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the lawsuit said.

Roughly 873 NIOSH employees have been laid off, and now, the World Trade Center Health Program has "no doctors to certify new illnesses for coverage," the lawsuit said.

As a result of the cuts, Newsday reported that 16 workers at the World Trade Center Health Program were fired, while the job status of its head, Dr. John Howard, who was initially fired, then rehired, still remains unclear.

Gary Smiley, a paramedic during 9/11, said Monday during a news conference on the lawsuit that "men and women who survived one of the most horrific attacks on this country are now worried that their insurance is going to go away."

"It's causing irreparable damage," he said.

James is joined in the lawsuit by the attorneys general of 18 states plus the District of Columbia.

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.