A federal court has issued a temporary injunction blocking the Trump administration from retracting millions in public health funding from four Democrat-led municipalities in GOP-governed states. This ruling marks the second federal decision to reinstate public health funding for multiple states. The injunction, sought by district attorneys in Harris County, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and Kansas City, Missouri, mandates the reinstatement of funding until the case is fully litigated.

The lawsuit, filed in April, alleges that $11 billion in CDC program cuts approved by Congress are being unconstitutionally withheld. The cities and counties argue that these cuts severely impact public health efforts at a crucial time, highlighting concerns about addressing infectious diseases like measles and bird flu. The lawsuit asserts that the cuts would result in the termination of thousands of public health employees.

While the local governments and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union sought to reinstate grants nationwide, the court limited the injunction to the four municipalities. The disputed funding, initially granted during the COVID-19 pandemic to bolster public health infrastructure, amounts to approximately $32.7 million owed to the four local governments.

The administration’s lawyers defend the funding cuts by stating that the grants are no longer necessary post-pandemic. The impacted municipalities detail the adverse effects of the cuts on critical public health services such as disease surveillance, vaccination programs, and infectious disease staffing. Despite this, representatives for HHS, the CDC, and the cities did not provide immediate comments following the court’s decision.