Federal judge orders Trump administration to keep paying Colorado public health grants

Grants to build public health infrastructure and prevent sexually transmitted infections in Colorado will keep flowing for at least two weeks after a federal judge on Thursday prevented the Trump administration from cutting them off. Colorado and three other states sued Wednesday to prevent the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from halting $600 million in ongoing public health grants to the states, all led by Democratic governors. The Colorado Attorney General’s Office estimated the state would lose about $22 million in existing funding, as well as about $4 million it expected to receive in the future. U.S. District Court Judge Manish Shah, in the Northern District of Illinois, found that the states had a good chance of proving the federal government violated the law in the way that it planned to cut the funds, and that losing them would cause “irreparable harm” to the states. The temporary restraining order preventing the funding cuts took effect Thursday afternoon and lasts 14 days. The funding comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported the largest grant affected had about $22 million that the state hasn’t yet spent on public health infrastructure. Smaller grants to the state, local health departments and nonprofits involve surveillance and prevention for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the state health department, said the agency is assessing the potential impact of losing the grants and looking for ways to ensure…

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