Attorney General Phil Weiser and the attorneys general from California, Illinois and Minnesota, all states led by Democrats, sued the Trump administration Wednesday over the White House Office of Management and Budget’s directive to cut more than $600 million in public health funding.
The attorneys general said the critical grant funding allows states to track disease outbreaks, maintain and improve their data systems, and collect basic public health data that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relies upon.
Politics
Trump administration to cut millions in health grants to states, including CO
“The president has repeatedly threatened to cut off federal funds to Colorado for purely political reasons. The abrupt termination of CDC funds would have immediate and irreversible impacts on Colorado’s public health system and critical services for communities across the state,” said Attorney General Weiser. “This action is lawless and mean-spirited. I’ll continue to fight for Colorado and stand up to the president’s ongoing campaign to punish our state using federal funding as a weapon for partisan political purposes.”
Among the reported cuts are $371,000 from the Colorado Health Network Inc. that would have focused on engaging Black and Latino gay men.
Denver7 Anchor Shannon Ogden visited Colorado Health Network Wednesday and met with CEO Darrell Vigil.
Vigil says that $371,000 is used to test 2,300 people a year for HIV and STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections). This was the last year of a five-year grant to fund those services.
"It absolutely does matter. Prevention funding is something that over the years we've had to be very creative with and we have seen at least this funding has been very stable for us the past five years. The sad thing is we thought we had until June 30. Now, we're scrambling to provide these services" said Vigil.
The funds being cut are administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They include grants given to states for a variety of purposes, including hiring staff, modernizing data systems and managing disease outbreaks. Some programs are aimed at the needs of specific communities. The CDC recently revised its website to focus on the agency's new priorities including moving away from a focus on health treatment that predominantly affects certain populations.
That focus “has not translated into measurable improved health for minority populations, and in many cases has undermined core American values,” the agency now says, according to the New York Times.
The New York Times reports that other cuts include:
- $7.2 million from the American Medical Association in Illinois, which supports gender transitions for children;
- $5.2 million from Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for increasing HIV prevention therapy among Black women;
- $876,000 from the Prevention Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, to address “reducing social isolation among older LGBTQ adults.”
According to the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Weiser, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will lose over $22 million in funds already awarded along with future funds anticipated.
The four attorneys general have asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order and prohibit the implementation or enforcement of the unlawful directive. The lawsuit, State of Illinois v. Russell Vought, is filed in U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District.
Colorado Health Network treats 5,800 of the 15,000 people in Colorado who are living with HIV. It is a statewide organization that provides a broad spectrum of support services including medical and oral health care, case management, behavioral health services, housing assistance, nutrition services, and emergency financial assistance.
