Twenty states file suit against White House ending teen gender care
On Tuesday, 19 states sued to block a Trump administration proposal that would cut Medicaid and Medicare payments to hospitals that provide gender‑related care to minors. The plan, announced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier this week, would eliminate federal funding for any facility offering puberty‑blocking drugs, hormone therapy or related surgeries to under‑age patients. The states said the move could shut down or cripple providers practicing approved medical treatments.
Kennedy’s declaration labels gender‑related treatments for minors as failing to meet recognized health standards and calls them malpractice. The announcement relied on a department report that noted uncertain benefits and better documented risks, including irreversible changes. The department maintains the declaration is a lawful standard change.
Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit, and California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington, and the District of Columbia joined. Defendants cited include Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services.
State attorneys say federal regulation of medical practice belongs to states and that the agency cannot impose a nationwide standard. They argue that cutting federal funding would deny patients necessary care and undermine evidence‑based protocols.