AG Kaul wins court order against Trump Administration’s efforts to restrict key social programs

MADISON, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul obtained a court order stopping the Trump Administration from blocking access to critical public health and social service programs.

In early May, Attorney General Kaul joined a larger coalition of other attorney generals in suing the administration’s efforts to effectively gut the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). U.S. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced an all-encompassing restructure of the HHS in late March, eliminating more than a dozen agencies and firing 10,000 employees.

Secretary Kennedy also closed down disease monitoring at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suspended maternal health data collection, and terminated the entire team responsible for updating federal poverty guidelines, which are used to determine eligibility for social programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, and housing assistance.

Attorney General Kaul’s coalition argued the sudden flurry of changes immediately endangered lives and left crucial systems in chaos. The injunction restrains the Trump Administration from further restructures and halts the termination of employees across the following offices:

• The CDC, including the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
• The Center for Tobacco Products
• The Office of Head Start
• The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Attorney General Kaul shared his thoughts on the coalition’s victory in a statement:

This ruling for now stops this Trump administration effort to substantially downsize the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which would meaningfully diminish that agency’s ability to protect the health of the American people. We will continue working to prevent public health from being unlawfully undermined.

The ruling is the latest in a series of Attorney General Kaul’s triumphs over the current administration. He recently was successful in restoring AmeriCorps programs after President Trump sought to have it eliminated.