The Trump administration has lost in court again, this time over the ending of a teen pregancy prevention program. The administration had secretly cut $213 million from prevention programs at more than 80 healthcare providers around the country in a purely political move. A number of groups sued, arguing that the Department of Health and Human Services "violated the Administrative Procedure Act that bars arbitrary decision-making and that the political appointees thwarted the will of Congress." A federal judge agrees.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled in one of those cases Thursday, ordering HHS to accept and process applications of four grantees as if they had not been terminated.
The Public Citizen, a consumer rights group in DC, represented Policy and Research LLC, Project Vida Health Center, Sexual Health Initiatives For Teens and the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy—four of 81 grantees who had their funds cut short by the administration last year.
"The court's decision today is a rebuke of the Trump administration's effort to kill a program that is working effectively to lower teen pregnancy rates," said Sean Sherman, an attorney at the Public Citizen Litigation Group.
"Because of the court's ruling, the four grantees will be able to continue to serve their local communities and to conduct important research. The court's decision confirms that HHS must administer the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program in accordance with the agency's own regulations and the requirement of reasoned decision-making."
There are several other cases challenging the funding cut still pending.