So, like, the New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, she’s all fired up and ready to sue the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She wants to stop them from cutting important programs that help low-income folks, people with disabilities, and those dealing with suicide thoughts. She made this big announcement at the National Action Network in Harlem, where she straight-up called out Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling him “the guy with a worm in his head.”
James is all about protecting the most vulnerable New Yorkers from the Trump administration’s attacks on social programs. She’s not having it with the weakening or elimination of these programs that so many people rely on. She’s like, “We gotta stand up for all this money and more,” and she’s got other Democratic attorneys general ready to back her up in filing this lawsuit real soon.
She’s pointing fingers at HHS for messing with the Head Start program, which gives free early childhood education and services to families in need. HHS has been cutting staff who run the program, causing delays in payments to providers, and even thinking about getting rid of it entirely. But hey, the White House backed off that plan, according to the AP.
Not stopping there, James is also calling out HHS for messing with the Meals on Wheels program. This program provides food and services to older folks and those with disabilities on the daily. HHS has been shrinking the agency that oversees Meals on Wheels, which is just not cool.
And get this, HHS is even cutting a suicide hotline, which is probably the LGBTQ+ youth-focused 988 service, and slashing the 9/11 health care fund for those affected by the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack. James is not having any of it, saying, “Do you really expect me to just sit back and let this madness happen?”
HHS didn’t bother responding to requests for comments because, well, who needs to explain themselves, right?
This lawsuit threat is just the latest move in James’ ongoing legal battles with Trump and his crew. She’s been suing them left and right to stop their new policies or program cuts. And hey, she even scored a $454 million win in a civil case against Trump for inflating property values to get better loan terms. Trump’s not happy about it, though, and he’s appealing the decision.
Last month, some housing official accused James of mortgage fraud and passed the info to the Department of Justice. James is like, “Nah, that’s just Trump trying to get back at me for all the times I took him to court.”
In her fiery speech, James mentioned that a bunch of other state attorneys general are gonna jump on board with this lawsuit against the “Health and Hospitals Association,” which she later corrected to just HHS. She didn’t spill the beans on which states are joining in or when they’re filing the lawsuit, though.
Her office did drop a hint about some “new action” against the Trump administration happening on Monday afternoon, so stay tuned for that drama.
And that’s the latest scoop on Letitia James taking on HHS and Trump. It’s like a legal showdown you don’t wanna miss.
