Harris County v. Department of Health and Human Services

In a case led by Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, Public Rights Project and Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) decision to terminate critical public health programs funded by Congress. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a coalition of 4 local governments and a labor union, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO.

The coalition is seeking to restore critical federal grant programs that support essential services, including vaccinations, disease tracking, health systems modernization, and public health staffing. 

The grant programs were funded through pandemic-related legislation, but Congress never tied them to the official public health emergency declaration and explicitly preserved them in 2023 to support long-term health infrastructure.

HHS’s attempt to cut $11 billion from public health programs will have a detrimental effect on communities. In Harris County, for instance, outreach teams that serve over 40,000 residents annually are at risk. In Columbus, staffing for infectious disease tracing is now operating at 25% capacity while the city faces a measles outbreak in a neighboring county. 

AFSCME, which is represented by Democracy Forward, represents members across the country who face job loss and other impacts to their duties as a result of the funding cuts.

Update:
On April 30, 2025, the coalition filed a request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily prevent the termination of critical public health programs funded by Congress.

On June 17, 2025, the district court granted a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs in the case. The order requires HHS to resume most of the plaintiffs’ grants while the case proceeds; however, the court declined to extend that relief to other grantees, as we had requested.

Read the decision.