A Trump administration plan to cut over $600 million in public health grants to four states led by Democrats was paused by a federal judge as litigation over the funds plays out.
US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Judge
Shah’s order temporarily prohibits the Trump administration from putting forth guidance or directives to slash public health grants to the states—California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota—due to “undisclosed agency priorities.”
The states “have established a likelihood of success in demonstrating that defendants have taken final agency action amounting to guidance or directives to review grants awarded to plaintiffs for termination based on arbitrary, capricious, or unconstitutional rationales,” Shah wrote.
The order will remain in effect for 14 days and requires the Trump administration to treat actions for implementation or enforcement of the relevant grant termination directives “as null, void, and rescinded.”
The states sued the US Department of Health and Services on Wednesday, arguing the Trump administration unfairly and illegally targeted them for political reasons about topics unrelated to health care such as immigration enforcement and clean energy.
In addition to their complaint, the states filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, urging the court to keep “in place the status quo” until a preliminary injunction request could be heard.
The case is Illinois v. Vought, N.D. Ill., No. 1:26-cv-01566, temporary restraining order granted 2/12/25.
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