Attorney General James Secures Court Victory Blocking Trump Administration’s Attempt to Gut Social Services 

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a major court victory halting the Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to gut essential health, education, and social service programs for low-income families in 21 states. Attorney General James led 20 other attorneys general in a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s reinterpretation of a decades-old law governing access to social services. Today, a federal court granted Attorney General James and the coalition’s request for a preliminary injunction, blocking sweeping new rules that threatened to strip funding from programs like Head Start, Title X family planning clinics, food banks, domestic violence shelters, adult education, and community health centers.  

“The Trump administration tried to rip apart the very programs that millions of families rely on to survive – from Head Start classrooms to cancer screenings to community food banks,” said Attorney General James. “Today’s ruling makes clear that their unlawful and cruel policies will not stand. With this victory, we are protecting children’s education, safeguarding critical health care, and preserving the safety net that keeps families afloat. I will never stop fighting to ensure every community has the resources and support they deserve.” 

Earlier this summer, four federal agencies – the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education (ED), Labor (DOL), and Justice (DOJ) – issued a coordinated set of directives abruptly redefining longstanding policy under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). For nearly 30 years, Republican and Democratic administrations alike interpreted PRWORA to allow states to offer vital public health, education, and anti-poverty programs regardless of immigration status. The Trump administration’s sudden reversal would have forced states to impose immigration status verification on countless services under the threat of catastrophic funding losses and program closures. 

The court’s decision halts implementation of those new directives in the plaintiff states while litigation proceeds, ensuring that millions of families can continue to access critical services without fear of denial or disruption. With this ruling, the judge is acknowledging that the administration likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act by issuing sweeping new mandates without lawful rulemaking, grossly misreading PRWORA, and failing to consider the devastating impacts on states and communities.

The victory has immediate impacts across New York: 

• Head Start: Protects early education for more than 43,000 low-income children at nearly 1,000 sites statewide.
• Community Health Centers: Safeguards access to primary and preventive care for 2.4 million New Yorkers who rely on 850 community clinics.
• Title X Clinics: Ensures reproductive health, cancer screenings, and STI testing for more than 300,000 patients each year.
• Mental Health Programs: Preserves over $65 million in annual funding for crisis intervention, youth mental health, peer support, the 988 suicide hotline, and jail diversion programs.
• Anti-Poverty Services: Maintains food, housing, and utility assistance provided by New York’s 47 Community Action Agencies to more than half a million residents annually. 

Joining Attorney General James in this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.