On July 21, 2025, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha co-led a coalition of 21 state attorneys general in suing the Trump administration to stop its unlawful attempt to restrict access to critical health, education, and workers’ programs. Starting on July 10, 2025, four federal agencies—the U.S Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education (ED), Labor (DOL), and Justice (DOJ)—issued a coordinated set of rules and guidance documents reinterpreting the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), a 1996 law governing access to public benefits.

The sweeping new directives bar many safety net programs from serving all residents, regardless of immigration status. These changes threaten access to core services such as Head Start, Meals on Wheels, child welfare programs, domestic violence shelters, housing assistance, mental health treatment, food banks, and community health centers that provide services that improve both individual and community wellbeing. For nearly three decades, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, federal agencies interpreted PRWORA to allow states to offer a wide range of essential services without regard to immigration status.

The attorney general coalition argues that the federal government acted unlawfully by issuing sweeping new mandates without following the required rulemaking process in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. The coalition also argues that the administration grossly misread PRWORA and that the rules violate the Constitution’s Spending Clause. These new rules are already causing significant disruption to services, and providers are ill-equipped to implement these new policies. Children in foster care, domestic violence survivors, people leaving homelessness, and many other vulnerable communities could lose access to critical supports.

On July 25, 2025, the federal government agreed to temporarily halt the implementation of these new restrictions on access to public benefits until at least September 4, 2025.

For decades, states like New York have built health, education, and family support systems that serve anyone in need. These programs work because they are open, accessible, and grounded in compassion. Now, the federal government is pulling that foundation out from under us overnight, jeopardizing cancer screenings, early childhood education, primary care, and so much more. This is a baseless attack on some of our country’s most effective and inclusive public programs, and we will not let it stand. Attorney General Letitia James