A federal judge in Chicago on Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from proceeding with $600 million in cuts to public health grants in four Democrat-led states. The reductions are paused for 14 days while a lawsuit moves forward.
U.S. District Judge Manish Shah stated that California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota are likely to succeed in their claims that the administration targeted these states to punish them for opposing federal immigration enforcement policies.
The states filed their lawsuit on Wednesday to protect grant funding managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This funding supports various efforts, including monitoring health threats, responding to outbreaks, and planning for public health emergencies such as HIV prevention and surveillance.
Shah’s order blocks the federal government from enforcing the disputed cuts for 14 days. The judge noted that the states would suffer “irreparable harm” if the cuts took effect immediately, according to The Associated Press.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who joined attorneys general from the other states in the case, stated that the administration was “playing politics with critical public health funding.”
“Targeting four Democrat-run states that are standing up to his unrelated immigration policies is a blatant attempt to intimidate us into compliance,” Raoul said in a statement, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “We are committed to fighting against the Trump administration’s unlawful actions that try to force us to adopt immigration and other unrelated policies.”
The Trump administration is terminating $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants for programs supporting HIV and STD prevention and HIV surveillance.
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— ABC News (@ABC) February 12, 2026
The Department of Health and Human Services, which manages CDC spending, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, as reported by Reuters. The Associated Press said the administration argued that the changes fit with updated CDC priorities, which include moving away from certain “health equity” initiatives.
The grants in question fund various public health activities, including programs for tracking disease outbreaks and researching health outcomes in LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color, as reported by the AP. Illinois officials stated that the cuts would lead to layoffs and reductions in state and local health programs, affecting initiatives related to lead poisoning prevention and HIV tracking, according to the Sun-Times.
This court case is part of a larger trend of litigation regarding the Trump administration’s attempts to withhold or condition federal funds to states and cities that do not align with its policies. Reuters reported that Trump has often tried to withhold funding from Democratic-led states, with lower court judges blocking several of these attempts.
Last month, a judge temporarily stopped the administration from freezing five Democratic-led states’ access to over $10 billion in federal funds for childcare and family assistance, according to Reuters.
Trump also publicly warned “sanctuary cities or states” that he would begin halting funding in February, claiming their policies lead to “fraud and crime and all the other problems that come,” as per Reuters.
Shah’s 14-day order keeps the grants intact for now as the states seek a longer delay and the court reviews the validity of their claims.
