Judge halts RFK Jr.'s health agency restructuring

A federal judge in Rhode Island on Tuesday ordered HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to halt his reorganization of federal health agencies, in response to a lawsuit brought by 19 Democratic-led states.The big picture: Kennedy will not be able to shutter HHS divisions or undertake additional layoffs as the lawsuit moves through the courts."The Executive Branch does not have the authority to order, organize, or implement wholesale changes to the structure and function of the agencies created by Congress," Judge Melissa DuBose, a Biden appointee, wrote in her decision. The states argued that Kennedy's changes stopped health agencies from carrying out legally required functions, such as food safety inspections and infectious disease prevention.Their attorneys general say HHS is violating the Constitution's requirements on separations of power and running afoul of administrative procedure laws.State of play: Kennedy in March announced that he'd combine HHS's 28 divisions into 15 in a bid to streamline functions and cut costs.The plan included placing on administrative leave and eventually firing some 10,000 HHS employees, though some of those employees have been reinstated. Fired employees have filed a separate lawsuit arguing that their terminations were based on error-ridden personnel data. What they're saying: "We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient and resistant to change," HHS communications director Andrew Nixon said in an email. Nixon said that HHS strongly disagrees with the court ruling and is considering next steps.

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