(The Center Square) – A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction late last week restoring $42 million in public health funding to Minnesota, blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate some grants to Democrat-led states.
Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led Minnesota’s legal challenge alongside California, Illinois, and Colorado, praised the Thursday ruling as a protection of essential health services.
“I am pleased to have stopped the Trump administration from slashing funding the CDC provides to Minnesota to support our health and well-being,” Ellison said. “This funding is used to track disease outbreaks, provide public health services in rural areas, prepare for emergencies, and so much more. It remains deeply alarming that Trump and his lackies are still so hell-bent on harming Minnesotans.”
The legal action challenges a February directive from the White House Office of Management and Budget that targeted over $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants to the four states, with the states citing “political animus and disagreements” as the reason for the cuts.
The injunction protects against further cuts while the case proceeds.
The largest affected program, the Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant, operates in all 50 states. It fully or partially funds dozens of Minnesota Department of Health staff and about 200 Community Health Board positions, including public health nurses who provide direct care to residents statewide. Ellison’s office said the cuts would have jeopardized disease tracking, emergency preparedness, and rural health services.
The cuts come as the Trump administration continues its “war on fraud,” which was also announced in February.
In his order, U.S. District Court Judge Manish S. Shah of the Northern District of Illinois described the harm from the funding cuts as “irreparable and intangible” and noted that agencies cannot use grant funding to advance political objectives.
He added the states were likely to succeed in proving that the OMB directive violated the Administrative Procedure Act.
While the injunction protects funding for current grants, the court noted it cannot enforce new payments for federal grants, which remain subject to separate legal processes.
The ruling follows a 28-day temporary restraining order granted in February that prevented immediate implementation of the funding cuts. Minnesota and the coalition of states continue to pursue the broader lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s actions.
