A Biden-appointed judge blocks Trump’s planned workforce cuts and reorganization at HHS after 19 Democratic states sued.

Judge Steps In to Pause HHS Overhaul

The Trump administration’s ambitious plan to restructure the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was put on hold Tuesday when a federal judge issued a temporary injunction following a lawsuit from 19 Democratic attorneys general. The case underscores ongoing political and legal battles over the future direction of the nation’s public health infrastructure.

HHS, under the Trump administration, announced in March that it would lay off about 20,000 full-time employees, consolidate regional offices, and merge several agency divisions. The stated goal was to boost efficiency, save taxpayer dollars, and refocus HHS on critical public health priorities, such as reversing chronic disease trends and advancing U.S. biomedical leadership. HHS officials described the changes as a response to a bureaucracy they called “wasteful, inefficient, and resistant to change.”

However, attorneys general from 19 states challenged the reforms in court, arguing that the abrupt layoffs and restructuring would undermine essential services, from cancer screenings to early childhood education and domestic violence prevention. The plaintiffs argued that the cuts threatened the nation’s social safety net and would disproportionately impact the most vulnerable communities.

Temporary Injunction Preserves Services

U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose, appointed by President Biden, sided with the states, granting a temporary injunction to stop the Trump administration from enforcing its proposed reductions at HHS. The agency was also ordered to provide a status report to the court by July 11. Judge DuBose’s order pauses both the workforce cuts and the planned sub-agency restructuring, at least until further legal arguments are presented.

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon responded, “We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy… While we strongly disagree with the decision by a Biden-appointed district court judge, HHS remains committed to modernizing a health workforce that for too long prioritized institutional preservation over meaningful public health impact.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the lawsuit’s lead plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling, stating that the decision “guarantees these programs and services will remain accessible and halts the administration’s attempt to sabotage our nation’s healthcare system.” She vowed to continue fighting what she called the “unlawful dismantling” of the agency’s capacity to serve vulnerable Americans.

Questions Remain Over Nationwide Injunctions

The court’s decision follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that limits the use of nationwide injunctions against presidential actions, though legal challenges to executive orders remain possible. Judge DuBose has asked both sides to address whether the Supreme Court’s ruling affects her injunction and has set a July 11 deadline for further arguments.

Since the Trump administration began implementing the restructuring, some former HHS employees have already been rehired. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. acknowledged in April that not all layoffs were warranted and said, “We’re reinstating them. And that was always the plan… We’re going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we’ll make mistakes.”

As the case proceeds, the future of HHS’s workforce and structure—and the fate of vital public health services—will remain at the center of legal and policy debates. The final outcome may determine how federal health agencies balance modernization with maintaining the safety net millions of Americans rely on.