Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said the Trump administration is attempting to “punish certain states” amid new published reports that indicate the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to cut roughly $600 million in public health funds from Democratic-led states – including Illinois.
In an emailed statement to NBC 5 Investigates, a spokesperson for Gov. Pritzker said: “Time and time again, the Trump Administration has attempted to politicize and punish certain states President Trump does not like. It’s wrong and often illegal, so Illinois will always fight for the resources and services our taxpayers are owed. As with most news, we have not been notified as the Governor’s Office receives information and communications from the White House through TruthSocial and media reports.”
The Trump administration plans to cut hundreds of millions in public health funds from Democratic-led states – Illinois, California, Colorado and Minnesota, and involving CDC-based funding that could impact state and local health agencies, according to reports in the New York Times and Bloomberg. They also include cuts to non-government entities – including Lurie Children’s Hospital, which reportedly involves more than $5 million in funding for an HIV research program.
A spokesperson for the hospital said they are still “evaluating the circumstances that have been reported…” The emailed statement went on to say “we conduct all of our research to improve the lives of children, adolescents and families.”
A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Public Health said: “We are aware of this reporting, but CDPH has not received communication on this matter from federal agencies.”
An HHS spokeswoman did not provide NBC 5 Investigates with specifics on which state or local health agencies were impacted by the grant cuts, but in emailed statement said: “These grants are being terminated because they do not reflect agency priorities.”
The spokesperson did not respond to our follow-up questions about which specific priorities she was referencing.
This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has threatened to eliminate federal funding. In January, the administration initially said it planned to slash funding for mental health care and substance treatment only to reverse course amid pushback.
And just last year, Illinois joined 21 other attorneys general who said over programming and fundings cuts within HHS.