Attorneys general from 19 states and Washington, D.C. have already filed a lawsuit to challenge it. They are taking on the Trump administration’s plan to implement drastic staffing cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This is the claim in a lawsuit recently filed in a U.S. district court in Rhode Island. It appears to be an attempt to respond to worries about the administration’s proposed elimination of up to 5,000 jobs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which has a workforce of about 20,000.
So far the Trump administration has proposed a budget of nearly $94 billion for HHS in 2026. That’s much less than the $127 billion the federal government provided the year before. This budget proposal continues Secretary Azar’s goal of reducing HHS’ organizational footprint by shrinking 28 divisions to just 15. Critics claim that this new strategy would devastate efforts to promote public health and gut our nation’s research enterprise.
Job Cuts and Impact on Research
The NIH has already started to fire workers, with 200 terminated so far, including cancer researchers. Scientific experts have expressed alarm that such cuts would be catastrophic for biomedical research. Otherwise, they will sit unmoved while delaying funding for the crucial studies that are essential to medical advancements.
“Cuts at the NIH will affect biomedical research, slowing or preventing grant funding from reaching individuals or groups performing research studies,” – Kanwar Kelley
Moreover, the budget proposal calls for slashing the NIH’s annual budget from $48 billion to $27 billion. This huge, across-the-board cut threatens all the underway projects. It would damage the future of American medical innovation.
“This will slow medical innovation and the development of treatments, leaving the American medical system behind other adequately staffed and funded countries,” – Kanwar Kelley
Experts warn that any major cut in NIH staffing would slow the biomedical research progress at an alarming rate. Additionally, delays in grant reviews and a lessening of oversight of studies already underway would pose serious threats to scientific progress.
“Cuts to NIH staffing could significantly slow the pace of biomedical research by delaying grant reviews, reducing oversight of ongoing studies, and limiting the agency’s ability to support scientific innovation nationwide,” – Ilana Graetz
Consequences for Public Health
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to cut its workforce by 3,500 jobs. This latest action would endanger new product approvals and undermine our food safety inspections. Our inspectors on the ground have expertise and accountability, and going forward it’s all predictably more likely that dangerous, contaminated products will hit the shelves.
“With fewer inspectors, contaminated products may go undetected longer, increasing the risk of illness, hospitalization, or death,” – Ilana Graetz
These layoffs would drastically reduce federal capacity to respond to the growing local health crises. In the case of Milwaukee, this meant the firing of federal lead specialists. Thus, schools shuttered without seizing the opportunity to end the insidious lead exposure putting children at peril.
“These layoffs reduce federal capacity to assist local responses, leaving communities more vulnerable to serious health risks and left to manage risks with fewer resources,” – an unnamed public health expert
Researcher organizations and experts have sounded the alarm on how dangerous these staffing cuts are to scientific researchers. They will take a machete to vital public health training programs. Such delays can only dampen the progress that will cultivate the next generation of medical and public health leaders.
“These delays affect not only research institutions and investigators but also critical training programs for the next generation of public health and medical leaders,” – Ilana Graetz
Legal Challenge and Future Implications
The future of thousands of federal employees now lies in the hands of the court system. The complaint asks the court to protect public health funding and staffing levels. It responds to concerns that reductions in these sectors might exacerbate existing health inequities or put vulnerable communities at further risk.
“Cutting funds and staffing at this speed will widen health disparities and threaten our most susceptible populations due to inadequate staffing and the burden of responsibilities on a smaller number of teams and departments,” – Kanwar Kelley
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