A federal judge has ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immediately restore nearly $12 million in federal grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), ruling that the funding cuts were likely driven by retaliation rather than policy priorities.
In a late Sunday decision, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from terminating the grants while the lawsuit moves forward. The ruling temporarily preserves funding that supports a wide range of pediatric public health initiatives nationwide.
Judge Howell concluded that HHS appeared to have a “retaliatory motive” in canceling the grants, pointing to the AAP’s public criticism of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the administration’s health policies.
“This is not a case about whether AAP or HHS is right or even has the better position on vaccinations and gender-affirming care for children, or any other public health policy,” Howell wrote. “This is a case about whether the federal government has exercised power in a manner designed to chill public health policy debate by retaliating against a leading and generally trusted pediatrician member professional organization focused on improving the health of children.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the largest professional organization representing doctors who treat children in the United States, said the terminated grants funded critical programs. These included efforts to prevent sudden unexpected infant death, improve early detection of developmental disabilities and birth defects, and strengthen pediatric care delivery in rural and underserved communities.
According to court filings, the grants account for nearly two-thirds of AAP’s federal funding. The organization warned that allowing the cuts to stand would have forced layoffs affecting approximately ten percent of its workforce.
In its lawsuit, AAP alleged that the funding terminations violated the First Amendment, arguing they were intended to punish the organization for opposing the Trump administration’s actions on vaccine policy and gender-affirming care for minors. The group said the cuts were designed to silence dissenting medical voices on critical public health issues.
HHS defended the decision, stating that the grants no longer aligned with departmental priorities and asserting that the agency was acting to protect taxpayers from wasteful spending. The department also criticized AAP’s decision to work with Democracy Forward, a legal organization aligned with progressive causes.
“HHS is not obligated to fulfill AAP’s employment or spending desires with American taxpayer dollars,” agency general counsel Mike Stuart said on X.
“The arrogance behind this lawsuit is staggering — AAP seems to believe it’s their money to spend as they please. Wrong! It’s our money, and it’s HHS’s duty to protect taxpayers from wasteful spending,” Stuart added.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, welcomed the ruling, saying it “sends a clear message: no administration gets to silence doctors, undermine public health, or put kids at risk, and we will not stop fighting until this unlawful retaliation is fully ended.”
The preliminary injunction keeps the funding intact for now, but the broader legal battle over the administration’s authority to withhold public health grants is expected to continue in the coming months.
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