Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced Friday that the state has joined a coalition of 16 states and the District of Columbia in suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over new restrictions that could strip funding from teen reproductive and sexual health education programs, according to a press release by the Office of the Attorney General.
The lawsuit, initially filed in the federal District Court of Oregon, seeks to stop HHS from “arbitrarily pulling funding for longstanding teen reproductive and sexual health education programs from states unless they remove language regarding gender identity.”
The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s decision to withhold funding unless states remove language referencing gender identity from their programs, according to the press release. The coalition argues that the policy change violates both federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
More than $1.6 million in funding awarded to Connecticut through the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) is at stake, according to the Office of the Attorney General. Connecticut has used PREP funding to support evidence-based educational programming aimed at reducing teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. The program serves an annual average of 800 to 1,200 at-risk youth in the state, the press release stated.
“When Trump says, ‘medically accurate,’ we all know what he really means is ‘MAGA-approved,’” said Attorney General Tong. “Censorship and political propaganda will not protect teens from unplanned pregnancy or preventable disease. Teens deserve accurate, honest information to stay safe, and we’re suing to make sure they get it.”
HHS’s actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and improperly override Congress’ authority, according to the press release. The coalition argues that requiring states to erase references to transgender status or gender identity directly contradicts the statutory requirements set by Congress when the grant programs were created.
In response to the lawsuit, HHS defended its stance, saying that federal funds “will not be used to poison the minds of the next generation or advance dangerous ideological agendas,” according to Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison in an HHS press release published on hhs.gov.
They further asserted that “California’s refusal to comply with federal law and remove egregious gender ideology from federally funded sex-ed materials is unacceptable,” according to Gradison.
The press release also states that the administration’s actions infringe upon the separation of powers by overtaking Congress’ authority.
“Forcing states to use medically unsupported, incomplete PREP program content violates laws adopted by Congress. The action is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act,” the press release said. “By unilaterally imposing these vague and nonsensical conditions, it also usurps Congress’ spending power and violates the separation of powers.”
The lawsuit is being co-led by Washington, Oregon and Minnesota, according to the Office of the Attorney General. Connecticut joins the litigation alongside Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.