Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township announced yesterday that he has joined a multistate lawsuit to challenge President Donald Trump’s administration for its latest federal funding cut to $11 billion in pandemic-era programs.

The decision was preceded by a March 25 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notification that the Commonwealth that the CDC was abruptly terminating funding for multiple critical public health grants.

“These grants and cooperative agreements were issued for a limited purpose: to ameliorate the effects of the pandemic,” officials wrote in the terminations, according to an exhibit filed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as part of the suit. “Now that the pandemic is over, the grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purposes has run out.”

“These terminations cut more than half a billion dollars legally owed to the Pennsylvania departments of Health (DOH), Human Services (DHS), and Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), and further impact funding that supports over 150 Commonwealth employees and contracted staff,” Shapiro’s office said in a release.

In Pennsylvania, Shapiro estimates the state will lose nearly $500 million in federal grant funding initially used to track and trace COVID-19 but was expanded to include other infectious diseases, as well as other major expansions to the state’s public health infrastructure.

“The federal government broke its half billion-dollar contract with the Commonwealth and as a result of this unlawful action, is undermining our ability to protect the health of Pennsylvania’s children and families,” Shapiro said in the announcement. “It is my job to defend the taxpayers of this Commonwealth, and this is funding owed to the people of Pennsylvania. But the Trump Administration abruptly canceled Congressionally-appropriated federal funding that supports critical Pennsylvania-based initiatives like infectious disease prevention, long-term care for our seniors, and immunizations for children. When I sign a legally-binding agreement, I follow through with it – and with today’s action, I’m just asking our federal government to do the same.”

Shapiro and company are asking for an emergency restraining order on the federal cuts to the public health grant programs that they argue “are causing and will continue to cause significant and irreparable harm” to the states, according to the lawsuit.

In March, Shapiro said he will consider legal action if the executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education causes Pennsylvania to lose billions in federal funding for its schools. Days later, he asked the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to cancel $13 million in funding for Pennsylvania food banks to buy food from local farmers

In February, Shapiro filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s freeze of federal funding. Yesterday’s announcement claims that “as a result of the Governor’s lawsuit and direct pressure on and engagement with the Trump Administration, all $2.1 billion in Congressionally-appropriated federal funding identified at the time of filing his lawsuit is once again accessible to Pennsylvania state agencies”, though Trump officials have disputed that claim.

The new lawsuit is co-led by Colorado, Rhode Island, California, Minnesota, and Washington and joined by Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin. You can read it below:

In related news, Governor Shapiro last week announced a challenge to a Trump decision to cancel $13 million in federal funding to support Pennsylvania farmers and food banks.

During a speech, Shapiro framed his administration’s investments in Pennsylvania businesses in contrast with expected tariff announcements from President Trump on Wednesday, March 2, Pennsylvania Capital Star reported. 

“While the federal government imposes policies that hurt our economy, Pennsylvania is leading the way in driving economic growth — investing in agricultural innovation, supporting our manufacturers, and delivering real results for farmers and their families,” Shapiro said during a visit to Reedsville.

The full speech is below:

Photos: Alex Kent/Chip Somodevilla/Getty