Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township announced yesterday that he has joined a multistate lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s administration over its latest federal funding cut of $11 billion in pandemic-era programs.
The decision was preceded by a March 25 notification from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the Commonwealth that funding for multiple critical public health grants would be abruptly terminated.
“These grants and cooperative agreements were issued for a limited purpose: to ameliorate the effects of the pandemic,” officials wrote in the terminations, according to an exhibit filed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as part of the suit. “Now that the pandemic is over, the grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purposes has run out.”
“These terminations cut more than half a billion dollars legally owed to the Pennsylvania departments of Health (DOH), Human Services (DHS), and Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), and further impact funding that supports over 150 Commonwealth employees and contracted staff,” a release from Shapiro’s office states.
Shapiro estimates that Pennsylvania will lose nearly $500 million in federal grant funding that was originally intended to track and trace COVID-19 but was expanded to include other infectious diseases, as well as other significant expansions to the state’s public health infrastructure.
“The federal government broke its half billion-dollar contract with the Commonwealth and as a result of this unlawful action, is undermining our ability to protect the health of Pennsylvania’s children and families,” Shapiro claimed in the press release. “It is my responsibility to defend the taxpayers of this Commonwealth, and this funding is owed to the people of Pennsylvania.
However, the Trump administration abruptly canceled federal funding appropriated by Congress to support critical Pennsylvania-based initiatives such as infectious disease prevention, long-term care for our seniors, and child immunizations. When I sign a legally binding agreement, I follow through on it; with today’s action, I’m simply asking our federal government to do the same.
According to the lawsuit, Shapiro and his company are seeking an emergency restraining order on federal cuts to public health grant programs, claiming that they “are causing and will continue to cause significant and irreparable harm” to the states.
In March, Shapiro stated that he will consider legal action if the executive order to dismantle the United States Department of Education causes Pennsylvania to lose billions of dollars in federal funding for its schools. Days later, he requested that the Trump administration reconsider its decision to cancel $13 million in funding for Pennsylvania food banks to purchase food from local farmers.
In February, Shapiro filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze.
Yesterday’s announcement claims that “as a result of the Governor’s lawsuit and direct pressure on and engagement with the Trump Administration, all $2.1 billion in Congressionally-appropriated federal funding identified at the time of filing his lawsuit is once again accessible to Pennsylvania state agencies,” though Trump officials have denied that claim.
Colorado, Rhode Island, California, Minnesota, and Washington are leading the new lawsuit, which is also supported by Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin. You can read it below.
2025-0401_ECF-No.-1-2025.04.01-Complaint
In other news, Governor Shapiro announced last week that he will challenge President Trump’s decision to cancel $13 million in federal funding for Pennsylvania farmers and food banks.
During a speech, Shapiro contrasted his administration’s investments in Pennsylvania businesses with President Trump’s expected tariff announcement on Wednesday, March 2, according to the Pennsylvania Capital Star.
“While the federal government imposes policies that hurt our economy, Pennsylvania is leading the way in driving economic growth — investing in agricultural innovation, supporting our manufacturers, and delivering real results for farmers and their families,” Shapiro said when he visited Reedsville.
