On Feb. 11, 2026, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) directive to unlawfully cut more than $600 million in public health funding based on policy disagreements with those states. 

On Feb. 9, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notified Congress of its intent to terminate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant funding in the four states without providing any specific reasons. The largest grant targeted in this federal directive is the Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant, which operates in all 50 states and funds critical short-term infrastructure, workforce needs, and long-lasting strategic investment. Other funds targeted include the STD Prevention and Control for Health Departments grant, the National HIV Behavioral Survey grant, and the STI Surveillance Network grant. The critical grant funding, which could be terminated as soon as Feb. 12, 2026, allows states to track disease outbreaks, maintain and improve their data systems, and collect basic public health data the CDC relies upon. These funding cuts would also force states to lay off hundreds of trained public health professionals.    

In their complaint, the attorney general coalition alleges that OMB’s directive commanding agencies to cut funding, along with its implementation, violates the U.S. Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act because it is arbitrary and capricious and exceeds the agencies’ statutory authority. 

On February 12, 2026, the court granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Trump administration from terminating the CDC grants. On March 4, 2025, the coalition amended filed an amended complaint to cover additional funding targeted by the Trump administration, which severely delayed disaster aid, funding for freight and highway projects, and funding to expand access to electric vehicle charging along major transportation corridors and in underserved communities. On March 4, 2025, the coalition amended filed an amended complaint to cover additional funding targeted by the Trump administration, which severely delayed disaster aid, funding for freight and highway projects, and funding to expand access to electric vehicle charging along major transportation corridors and in underserved communities. On March 13, the court granted a preliminary injunction that continues to block the Trump administration from terminating more than $600 million in public health funding from the CDC. 

The president is blatantly targeting states that are disfavored for political reasons, and our residents are the ones who will suffer. The programs that rely on this funding are in no way related to federal immigration law, and these arbitrary cuts will affect critical public health infrastructure in Illinois. I will continue to push back on the administration’s unlawful actions and policies particularly when it affects funding to prevent and treat life-threatening ailments, such as lead poisoning or HIV.Attorney General Kwame Raoul

The president has repeatedly threatened to cut off federal funds to Colorado for purely political reasons. The abrupt termination of CDC funds would have immediate and irreversible impacts on Colorado’s public health system and critical services for communities across the state. This action is lawless and meanspirited. I’ll continue to fight for Colorado and stand up to the president’s ongoing campaign to punish our state using federal funding as a weapon for partisan political purposes.Attorney General Phil Weiser