Great Lakes Wire

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, along with a coalition of 19 attorneys general, has secured a preliminary injunction to halt the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This legal action aims to prevent the reduction of resources that protect communities from outbreaks and ensure access to critical medical care.

"I am greatly relieved the Court blocked the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to cut off vital resources that help protect our communities from outbreaks and ensure Michigan residents can access critical medical care," said Nessel. "Had this action gone into effect, it certainly would have resulted in immeasurable harm and countless lives needlessly lost."

The restructuring plan, announced by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on March 27 as part of a "Department of Government Efficiency" initiative, proposed reducing HHS's agencies from 28 to 15 and cutting approximately 20,000 employees. Termination notices began on April 1, affecting regional offices including those in Chicago, Boston, New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle.

On May 5, the attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration challenging this restructuring. A motion for a preliminary injunction was filed on May 9 and granted today.

Attorney General Nessel was joined by her counterparts from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

For updates on federal actions impacting Michigan residents visit the Department of Attorney General’s Federal Actions Tracker webpage.