Twenty state attorneys general are asking a federal court to stop sweeping cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), targeting a key initiative by the Trump administration known as the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Directive. The case, filed in the District of Rhode Island, seeks to block terminations across four HHS agencies and preserve core public health programs.
The MAHA Directive, announced in March 2025 by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., would eliminate over 10,000 positions and consolidate nearly 30 federal divisions into 15, cutting HHS staffing by a quarter. The attorneys general argue these actions were implemented without proper legal authority and sidestep Congress.
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