Washington joins multi-state lawsuit against Trump administration for cutting billions in public health funding

Washington state is among 24 states suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an effort to block its sudden termination of $11 billion in grant funding for public health agencies.

If the Trump administration's funding revocation is successful, Washington state could lose over $159 million, Attorney General Nick Brown said in a press release.

"We can’t make America healthy by spreading preventable diseases,” State Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement. “Aside from the illegality of these actions, the administration is also choosing to neglect the biggest public health challenges, including substance abuse and mental health crises, facing our communities.”

RELATED: Vaccine clinics canceled, health jobs cut as feds rescind grants to Washington state

KUOW reported on Saturday that some Washington programs, such as “Care-A-Van” mobile health clinics, have already been canceled by the state Department of Health after the feds cut underlying funding. Over 100 vaccination events statewide were suspended or canceled, although the state is exploring alternate funding, a health department spokesperson said in an email Monday.

Behavioral health providers also got programs cut, Brown said, although the extent to which drug treatment or mental health services will be affected is unclear.

California, Oregon, Colorado, Rhode Island, and Minnesota are among other plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Also on Tuesday, layoffs began to hit the Health and Human Services Department nationwide, shutting down Seattle's Region 10 office. Kennedy wants to shrink, overhaul, and rebrand the federal agency into an "Administration for a Healthy America" that's "accountable to you, the American taxpayer, and the American patient,” he said in a video on X.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene of Medina, Washington, attacked that move in a statement.

“This closure effectively removes any on-the-ground support the department provides to families and organizations in our region," she wrote. "This doesn’t make America healthier or more efficient. This is an irresponsible decision that will harm public health in Washington and the Pacific Northwest.”