RFK, Jr. and Trump targeted only states and communities governed and represented by Democratic leaders and said these lifesaving health initiatives “do not reflect [their] priorities”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), released the following statement after the Trump Administration abruptly cancelled a reported $600 million in grants through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to four states primarily controlled by elected Democrats – Minnesota, California, Colorado, and New York. The cancelled funding, among other initiatives that keep Americans healthy, helps stop the spread of HIV, strengthens and grows the health care workforce, connects people to good, affordable health care, and stops the spread of diseases and infections. The only explanation President Trump and RFK, Jr. gave to take away this funding was a vague statement that it does not reflect agency priorities.
“Once again, Donald Trump is putting political retribution above Americans’ health, taking away needed tools that prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases like HIV, cutting off investment in our health care workforce, and stopping Americans from getting the care they need. Donald Trump and RFK, Jr. are putting Americans’ lives and health on the line just to play petty politics and punish those who’ve spoken out against him,” said Senator Baldwin. “I, for one, will not be intimidated. Americans, regardless of whether they live in a state governed by a Democrat or a Republican, cannot be used as pawns in this President’s campaign of retribution. American families want lower costs and to live healthy lives, not vengeance and revenge from the President. Diseases don’t stop spreading at state lines or care what political party you are. Taking away this funding for these communities makes all Americans less safe and puts the health of all Americans at risk.”
The Trump Administration’s cancellations of these grants appear to be politically motivated. This falls on the heels of Secretary Kennedy trying to terminate $2 billion in mental health and addiction treatment and prevention grants in January.
The 108 cancelled grants impact several programs, including Public Health Infrastructure Grants (PHIG), CDC Prevention Research Centers, HIV and STI Prevention, Injury Prevention and Control, the CDC Climate and Health Program, and the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) programs. The funding across the four states was used to hire staff, modernize and update data systems, and manage disease outbreaks.
The canceled grants include programs that have long been supported by Democratic and Republican administrations. The funding includes support projects that prevent HIV infection, grow the public health workforce, and help state, local, and tribal health departments respond to public health crises.
Senator Baldwin has been a leading voice in pushing back against cuts to critical health funding. Earlier this year, Senator Baldwin spoke out against the abrupt cancelling, then reinstating, of $2 billion in funding for thousands of programs that support mental health and addiction treatment and prevention. As Ranking Member on the LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Baldwin also fought for and successfully included provisions to put up stronger guardrails to ensure funding for Fiscal Year 2026 is spent as Congress intended and without delay.
An online version of this release is available here.
