A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking the Trump administration from implementing further layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ruling that the sweeping staff cuts likely violated federal law and caused "irreparable harm" to public health services.
U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose of Rhode Island delivered the 58-page ruling on Tuesday in response to a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia challenging what they termed the "unconstitutional and illegal dismantling" of HHS.
Scope of Layoffs and Agency Impact
Since the beginning of the year, approximately 20,000 jobs at HHS have been eliminated, according to court documents. This figure includes more than 5,000 probationary staff laid off in February, 10,000 positions terminated through Kennedy's restructuring initiative, and thousands of others who accepted government buyouts.
The FDA bore the heaviest impact, losing some 3,500 workers. The agency has since experienced regulatory delays, with several companies reporting postponements to drug approvals. The CDC lost around 2,400 employees, while the National Institutes of Health saw 1,200 positions eliminated.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had already cut more than 10,000 workers in March and merged 28 agencies into 15 as part of the administration's "Make America Healthy Again" plan. Some layoffs were subsequently reversed following public outcry, including CDC cuts that affected workers tracking HIV, hepatitis and other serious diseases.
Legal Ruling and Implications
Judge DuBose determined that the states "have shown a likelihood of success on their claims" and granted an injunction preventing HHS and other defendants, including FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, from "taking any actions to implement or enforce the planned RIF [reduction in force] or sub-agency restructuring."
"The executive branch does not have the authority to order, organize, or implement wholesale changes to the structure and function of the agencies created by Congress," DuBose wrote in her ruling.
The court order specifically applies to workers in four key HHS areas: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Center for Tobacco Products within the FDA; the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families; and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
State Impact and Agency Response
In their lawsuit, state leaders argued that the cuts stripped away crucial services and imposed unnecessary costs on states. Judge DuBose agreed, noting that states lost access to "funds, guidance, research, screenings, compliance oversight, data, and, importantly, the expertise and guidance on which they have long relied."
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon defended the restructuring in a statement: "We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient and resistant to change."
Partial Reversals and Future Outlook
The government has already walked back hundreds of layoffs in response to operational challenges. In February, the FDA rehired approximately 300 employees, including those in medical device review departments. The agency brought back roughly 20 employees in May who handled travel arrangements for inspectors and ten officers involved in user fee negotiations.
At a Senate hearing in May, Kennedy acknowledged "so much chaos and disorganization" within HHS and conceded that mistakes had been made, suggesting that up to 20% of terminated workers might be reinstated.
The court ruling blocks any additional layoffs or structural changes while the lawsuit proceeds. HHS must report back to the court by July 11 regarding compliance with the injunction.
