New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 19 other state attorneys general, including Connecticut’s William Tong, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The lawsuit stems from the firing of thousands of federal workers at HHS in late March.
James said at a press conference Monday that the courts should reverse Kennedy’s firings, claiming they hurt medical research and disease prevention.
“We are asking the court to halt the unlawful dismantling of HHS, to stop the mass firings, and to restore the life-saving programs that millions of Americans depend on, including 9/11 responders, children and New Yorkers whose lives depend on HHS,” James said.
So far, Kennedy and Trump have combined a total of 13 divisions and have cut thousands of jobs within the department. They include programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the World Trade Center Health Program.
Tong called the cuts “lawless chaos” in a statement.
