WASHINGTON, February 11, 2026 — The Trump administration is proposing to cut approximately $600 million in public health grants from four states led by Democratic governors, sparking debate over agency priorities and the future of key health initiatives. The proposed cuts aim to align funding with the administration’s current objectives, according to an administration official.
Funding Shift Targets Workforce, Equity, and Disease Prevention
The cuts impact a broad range of programs, from HIV prevention to climate change mitigation.
- The grants, awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), support initiatives in California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota.
- Proposed cuts affect state and municipal health departments, universities, and non-profit organizations.
- The administration cites a need to prioritize agency goals, including rebuilding trust and modernizing public health infrastructure.
- A significant portion of the cuts target programs focused on transgender care and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The CDC grants fund a diverse array of programs, including workforce development, sexually transmitted infection prevention, health equity initiatives, and training for pediatric clinicians. The list of proposed cuts was shared with relevant congressional committees this week.
The proposed funding reductions target public health departments and agencies in major cities like Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, and San Francisco. Universities including the University of California, the University of Chicago, and the University of Colorado, as well as organizations like the American Medical Association and the National Environmental Health Association, would also be affected.
Many of the grants support efforts to strengthen the public health workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 20 grants are specifically dedicated to preventing the spread of HIV or conducting HIV and AIDS surveillance. Others focus on mitigating the effects of climate change or addressing racial and ethnic health disparities.
“These grants are being terminated because they do not reflect agency priorities,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated.
A CDC webpage published in September outlines the agency’s new priorities, which include rebuilding trust in the department, modernizing public health infrastructure, and “ensuring compliance with the goals and priorities of the Trump Administration and HHS.”
The webpage also indicates a deprioritization of programs that promote medical interventions for transgender children and those that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The Trump administration has consistently prioritized curtailing access to gender-affirming care for minors. Shortly after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to ban federal funding for such medical treatments. He also directed HHS to publish a report on gender-affirming care, which largely dismissed treatments like hormone therapies and puberty blockers, and proposed a rule threatening to revoke federal funding from hospitals providing these treatments to minors.
Several of the canceled grants specifically address the needs of transgender individuals, including approximately $237,000 allocated to reduce sexually transmitted diseases among transgender women in San Francisco. Around 10 grants mention diversity or equity initiatives, encompassing racial equity and broader health equity efforts.
The CDC also canceled over $1 million in funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for national pediatrician training. The AAP has publicly opposed several Trump administration initiatives, challenging the HHS’ decision to alter vaccine recommendations for children and supporting gender-affirming care for children. Last month, a federal judge ruled that HHS likely acted with “retaliatory motive” when terminating several grants to the AAP in December, ordering the administration to restore the funding.
Other terminated grants include nearly $4 million earmarked for developing training modules for public health professionals, $871,000 from a public health training program at the University of California, Los Angeles, and almost $6 million from the City of Minneapolis for a program supporting its health department.
