A federal judge has issued a ruling to block significant funding cuts proposed by the Trump administration, which aimed to reduce federal homeland security grants by over $230 million for seven states and the District of Columbia. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy, appointed by Trump in 2018, described these funding reductions as an inappropriate linkage of state assistance to compliance with immigration enforcement policies. The cuts, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), would have affected states including Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. These grants are part of a broader allocation of $1 billion intended for counter-terrorism efforts and local government support.

In her 48-page ruling, Judge McElroy expressed concern that the administration's management of federal grants undermines the essential responsibility of ensuring public safety. She highlighted the potential adverse effects of these funding cuts on law enforcement and counter-terrorism initiatives, referencing a mass shooting incident at Brown University as an example of how such funds are utilized. McElroy condemned the practice of withholding funding for political reasons as both unconscionable and unlawful. Following the ruling, a coalition of 12 attorneys general from the affected states celebrated the decision as a significant victory, with New York Attorney General Letitia James stressing the importance of these funds for public safety. The DHS has indicated plans to appeal the ruling.

In a separate legal matter, nineteen states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to a declaration from Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This declaration prohibits medical professionals from providing gender-affirming procedures to minors, which the Trump administration claims is necessary to prevent irreversible harm. Kennedy criticized professional medical organizations for endorsing such treatments, asserting that they mislead the public about their benefits for youth experiencing gender dysphoria. He argued that these procedures pose risks to minors and that many young people are misled into believing they can change their sex.

The HHS declaration categorizes puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender transition surgeries as unsafe for minors and threatens healthcare providers who continue to offer these treatments with exclusion from federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. In response, the coalition of states, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, contends that the HHS declaration infringes on the rights of patients and healthcare providers. The lawsuit claims that the declaration seeks to coerce providers into halting gender-affirming care and bypasses necessary legal procedures for public notice and comment before implementing significant health policy changes. James emphasized that Secretary Kennedy cannot unilaterally alter medical standards through a declaration and that access to essential healthcare should not be compromised by federal interference in medical decision-making.