More than $250 million in public health funding was restored to Minnesota on Thursday, April 3, as part of a federal judge's $11 billion decision.
Attorney General Keith Ellison co-leads a coalition of states suing U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy for abruptly terminating the grant funding, which the coalition states is illegal.
“Congress created the National Institutes of Health, tasked them with conducting crucial public health research, and passed the funding for them to do so,” Ellison said in a news release. “Donald Trump and his administration cannot just ignore the will of Congress and unilaterally slash funding for that life-saving medical research."
A U.S. District Court judge granted a temporary restraining order restoring the funding, saying the coalition is likely to succeed in the lawsuit and there is a "voluminous record” showing the harm of the order.
HHS terminated federally funded grants for a variety of public health projects, including infectious disease, emergency preparedness and mental health and substance abuse services.
According to NIH’s own database, the agency has awarded tens of millions of dollars to institutions in Minnesota in 2025, primarily the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota.
"Termination of those grants — or delays in the grant review process — will disrupt valuable research at Minnesota institutions," the news release stated.
The Minnesota Department of Health said Tuesday it was laying off nearly 200 employees as a response to the grant terminations.
In an emailed statement on Friday, Health Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham said the restraining order is a "bright spot amidst some very dark days in public health."
But whether this court action changes anything concerning the layoffs was still being determined Friday.
"We will once again have to take some time to figure out what this fully means for the critical services we provide, our community partners, and most importantly, the staff that have received layoff notices," Cunningham wrote.
The restraining order does not guarantee immediate access to the funds being withheld, according to the state's health department.
