IPHA Condemns “Claw Back” of Federal CDC Funds from Illinois, California, Colorado, and Minnesota
Public Health Impact Statement
IPHA Condemns “Claw Back” of Federal CDC Funds from Illinois, California, Colorado, and Minnesota
A directive from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on February 5, 2026, ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to rescind funding from four Democratic-led states. The OMB directive targeted Colorado, Illinois, California, and Minnesota, ordering that $602 million in CDC funding be clawed back, along with $943 million by the Transportation Department.
The vast majority of grant cuts are from projects such as public health workforce recruiting, retention, and training, and to update and improve IT and data infrastructure. According to the administration, the CDC funds would have funded state and local health grants that did not meet the President’s direction for the agency and were in opposition to executive orders. An OMB spokesperson said the rescissions are targeting “states fraught with waste and mismanagement.”
The funding rescission comes weeks after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would “claw back” roughly $10 billion in federal funds to the same four states, along with New York. In January, HHS attributed the decision to concerns about fraud and misuse of funds in childcare and other social safety net programs. A federal judge later blocked the funding freeze, first with a temporary restraining order and then with a preliminary injunction, allowing the states to continue accessing the funds while litigation proceeds.
The current round of rescinded funds by CDC include:
- $600,000 for the Illinois Department of Public Health’s HIV prevention and surveillance program
- $3 million to Colorado to address COVID-19 disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups
- $5.2 million to Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago for increasing HIV PrEP use among Black cisgender women
- $500,000 to the University of California for evaluating state-level laws to prevent sexual and intimate partner violence among gender and sexual minorities.
Not only are these cuts illegal because Congress has already appropriated the funds, they are unconstitutional because they amount to the impoundment of funds that Congress has directed be spent in on specific programs and services. The cuts to state and local public health infrastructure, services, and HIV programs are senseless and harmful to vulnerable communities.
The decision to rescind over $600 million from Illinois, Colorado, Minnesota, and California, in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public health funding presents an urgent crisis for public health in areas where the public health infrastructure is already underfunded and overstretched. These cuts would significantly reverse progress in ending the HIV epidemic, resulting in thousands of new infections and preventable deaths by 2030. Key impacts include reduced access to testing, treatment, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
It is projected that these cuts will lead to a significant rise in new HIV cases and deaths due to reduced access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), testing, and treatment. The will also jeopardize the progress made by these states in reducing HIV transmissions, potentially forcing a reversal of decades of investment in HIV care. Ultimately, the reduction in funding is expected to create "holes" in the HIV safety net, particularly for vulnerable populations and in areas with high infection rates. The loss of federal support risks undoing progress across all communities, not just in the four states directly impacted, but the entire country.
As of this writing, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced, “a coalition of legal officials is suing the Trump administration over its attempts to withhold $600 million in public health grants for Illinois and three other Democratic-led states.” The attorneys general of California, Colorado, and Minnesota, representing the other states targeted by the federal directive, also signed onto the suit.
IPHA urges the federal government and members of Congress to act swiftly in restoring these funds, ensuring that our residents are not left behind in the face of growing public health threats.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Conny Moody, Associate Executive Director for Government Relations and Compliance, at cmoody@ipha.com or email advocacy@ipha.com.