CDC yanks $38M from Minnesota public health, AG sues

The Minnesota Department of Health says the CDC has abruptly canceled about $38 million in grants for public‑health infrastructure in the state—part of roughly $600 million in cuts targeting Minnesota, Colorado, Illinois and California—after telling MDH the work was 'inconsistent with agency priorities.' MDH planned to use the money to bolster the public‑health workforce, modernize data systems, support emergency planning and response, and shore up local health capacity, which directly hits the metro counties that rely on state pass‑through funds for disease tracking and emergency readiness. Attorney General Keith Ellison has now filed suit with California, Colorado and Illinois, seeking at least $42 million and a temporary restraining order, arguing the directive is unconstitutional and 'arbitrary and capricious' retribution against Minnesota. MDH Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham condemned the move as needless, politically targeted and dangerous, warning it makes Minnesotans 'less healthy, less safe and less prepared to respond to emergencies,' while HHS has already notified Congress it plans to cut additional grants next week, including Preventive Services Block Grant dollars and HIV/STD surveillance funding. The CDC has not yet publicly explained why these specific states were singled out, fueling online criticism that national public‑health dollars are being weaponized against perceived political enemies rather than allocated by risk and need.