Under the Trump administration, four Democratic-led states are at risk of losing federal public health funding.

Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to cut about $600 million in Public Health Infrastructure Grants that originated from the Biden administration and were allocated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The grants were to provide billions of dollars across five years to over 100 public health departments, per the outlet.

According to The New York Times, HHS plans to cut the grants because they “do not reflect agency priorities.” The decision also comes after nearly $5 billion in public health state funding was paused in January and then restored hours later, per another Bloomberg report. A HHS spokesperson told Bloomberg that the pause was needed to put a new review process in place to “ensure funds are used for their intended purposes.”

The $600 million in cuts would affect state and local public health departments and some nongovernmental organizations, NYT reported. The following four Democratic-led states were listed under the planned cuts:

  • California
  • Colorado
  • Illinois
  • Minnesota

The grants were meant to support efforts such as hiring public health staff, improving data systems, and managing disease outbreaks. In fact, about 24 grants addressed HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, per the outlet.

“It is concerning that H.H.S. is cutting public health funding to local communities that cover core functions in the middle of a measles outbreak and other health threats. This, coupled with large staffing cuts to federal public health leaves communities less prepared,” said Dr. Deb Houry, former chief medical officer of the CDC who resigned in August 2025, according to NYT.

The cuts also impact programs that target specific communities. The CDC shares on its website that it will no longer prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that “prioritize group identity over individual merit” as it “believes opportunities should be based on character, effort, and ability, not race or other group identity.” The CDC states it will honor merit-based opportunities and views the alternative as an “unlawful discriminatory practice.”

“CDC has previously invested substantially in ideologically-laden concepts like health equity—mainly on identifying and documenting worse health outcomes for minority populations,” a statement on its website reads. “This has not translated into measurable improved health for minority populations, and in many cases has undermined core American values. CDC will prioritize efforts that go beyond the use of ideologically laden concepts to focusing on solution-oriented approaches.”

Some cuts will be finalized as early as this week, and more will follow in the weeks ahead, NYT reported. Some listed include the American Medical Association in Illinois ($7.2 million) and Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago ($5.2 million).