Attorney General Ellison issues statement on preliminary injunction blocking Trump administration’s unlawful termination of over $600 million in federal public health grants

Preliminary injunction protects $42 million in funding for Minnesota

March 13, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Keith Ellison today issued the following statement after a federal court judge granted his motion for a preliminary injunction to enjoin the federal government from halting health-related funding to states and void the public health grant terminations that have already occurred.

Last month, Attorney General Ellison and a coalition of attorneys general from Illinois, California, and Colorado sued the Trump administration over the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) directive to target those states and unlawfully cut more than $600 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants based on its policy disagreements with those states. The court previously granted a temporary restraining order in this case, which lasted 28 days. The unlawful directive would claw back over $42 million in grants already awarded to the state of Minnesota, with more threatened cuts to come.

“I am pleased to have stopped the Trump administration from slashing funding the CDC provides to Minnesota to support our health and well-being. This funding is used to track disease outbreaks, provide public health services in rural areas, prepare for emergencies, and so much more,” said Attorney General Ellison. “It remains deeply alarming that Trump and his lackies are still so hell-bent on harming Minnesotans. We deserve a president who looks out for all Americans, and it’s a profound shame that our current president is instead trying to punish Americans who may not have supported him.”

The unlawful directive would have clawed back over $42 million in grants already awarded to the state of Minnesota, with more threatened cuts to come. The grant funding allows states to track disease outbreaks, maintain and improve their data systems, and collect basic public health data the CDC relies upon. These funding cuts would also force states to lay off hundreds of trained public health professionals.

The largest grant targeted in this federal directive is the Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant (PHIG), which operates in all 50 states and funds both critical short-term infrastructure, workforce needs and long-lasting strategic investment. For example, in Minnesota, the PHIG fully or partially funds 57 Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) staff who handle a variety of important projects, ranging from public health outreach to rural Minnesota, disease tracking, emergency preparedness training and planning, and much more. PHIG also provide at least partial funding for approximately 200 Community Health Board positions across Minnesota. These positions include public health nurses directly responsible for the care and well-being of Minnesotans. 

In their complaint, Attorney General Ellison and the coalition allege that OMB’s directive commanding agencies to cut funding, along with its implementation, violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act because it is arbitrary and capricious and exceeds the agencies’ statutory authority.