On May 5, the coalition sued the administration to stop the sweeping and unlawful directive, which left HHS unable to carry out many of its most vital functions. On July 1, Judge Melissa R. Dubose of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island blocked the administration’s mass layoffs at several key HHS agencies while the case proceeds."The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is a cornerstone of our national health infrastructure, delivering vital services that protect our communities, from ensuring access to affordable healthcare to safeguarding public health during times of crisis, said Governor Josh Green, M.D. “Dismantling this essential agency would not only jeopardize healthcare for millions of Americans but would undermine decades of health and mental health care progress. None of this is remotely ‘Making America Healthy Again.’ As Governor, I stand firm in supporting the preservation of institutions like HHS that directly contribute to the health and well-being of Hawaiʻi’s citizens." – AG Lopez