RFK Jr. Sued for Infectious Disease Fund Cuts as Measles Spreads

The US Department of Health and Human Services is being sued by several municipalities for slashing over $11 billion from infectious disease programs amid a growing measles outbreak.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, accuses HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and acting CDC Director Susan Monarez of running afoul of the Constitution for cutting funding already appropriated by Congress. The lawsuit—in which the cities of Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; and Nashville, Tenn., join Harris County, Texas—also claims the HHS is violating its own regulatory scheme in canceling grants.

The lawsuit comes as around 800 measles cases have been confirmed in the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US had eliminated measles for over two decades, though cases this year began popping up in a Texas Mennonite community in West Texas and have continued to spread since.

Vaccination is widely considered the most effective way to stave off infection. However, the outbreak coincides with vaccine-skeptic Kennedy’s assumption of leadership over the HHS. In April, Kennedy said there was “no reason” children should die from measles if hospitals treat the disease, and that the US shouldn’t rely on the vaccine.

The HHS in a statement said it does not respond to ongoing litigation.

Columbus Public Health Commissioner Mysheika Roberts said in a statement announcing the lawsuit that the funding in question “helped us respond quickly to infectious disease outbreaks like measles and mpox.”

“Without the 11 staff funded by the grant, we no longer have the staff to respond proactively to infectious disease outbreaks in vulnerable locations like schools and long-term care facilities, impacting our ability to protect residents’ health,” Roberts said.

According to the lawsuit, the funding was initially offered up to local governments and other entities to grapple with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future potential outbreaks. The lawsuit claimed Congress did not limit that funding to the pandemic’s duration or Covid-specific projects.

The Trump administration, however, slashed Covid-related CDC grant programs “in one fell swoop.”

The municipalities are seeking reinstatement of the eliminated grant programs.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFL-CIO) is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

The case is Harris County, Texas v. Kennedy, D.D.C., No. 1:25-cv-01275, 4/24/25.