A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to restore nearly $12 million in grant funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that had been cut in December.
Grants that were terminated supported various children’s health programs, including rural health care, sudden unexpected infant death prevention, and services for teens dealing with substance use and mental health challenges.
The big picture: U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell found evidence that HHS likely had a “retaliatory motive” in ending the grants, siding with the AAP’s claim that the cuts were punishment for the group’s public opposition to the administration’s policies.
- The judge emphasized that the case is about whether the government was trying to silence public health debate by retaliating against a respected doctors’ group, not about which party has better health policies.
Driving the news: The AAP has been outspoken in favor of pediatric vaccines and gender-affirming care for youth, both positions at odds with HHS under current leadership.
- The cuts were made after the AAP released recommendations diverging from the government’s COVID-19 vaccine guidance and criticized the administration’s stance on doctor-patient relationships concerning gender-affirming care.
- HHS claimed the grants were ended because they no longer aligned with departmental priorities and denied retaliatory motives.
Zoom in: The judge found that allowing the funding cuts to continue would cause “irreparable harm” to AAP and that public interest supports reinstating the grants while the lawsuit continues.
