Doing the Democrats’ bidding, a liberal judge has decided to block part of President Donald Trump’s bombshell plans for the federal government.
U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose, appointed by Joe Biden, issued an injunction against the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) initiative to reduce government waste.
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was overseeing the reduction of 10,000 jobs and the consolidation of redundant agencies.
“We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” he said.
The ruling comes as another example of activist judges undermining President Trump’s mandate to drain the swamp and cut government bloat.
The administration’s plan aimed to consolidate 28 divisions into just 15 and close half of the agency’s regional offices.
The move sought to create a more efficient department focused on core health priorities rather than bureaucratic expansion.
In response, 19 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C., sued to protect the federal bureaucracy, claiming Secretary Kennedy “lacked authority” to streamline operations.
The lawsuit represents yet another attempt by the left to preserve wasteful government spending and block President Trump’s efficiency agenda.
Judge DuBose’s ruling directly challenges the administration’s legitimate executive authority to manage federal agencies.
“The Executive Branch does not have the authority to order, organize, or implement wholesale changes to the structure and function of the agencies created by Congress,” she claimed in her ruling.
The restructuring was part of a broader government efficiency initiative led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with identifying and eliminating waste across federal agencies.
HHS has long been criticized for its bloated bureaucracy and mission creep beyond its core health functions.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon defended the plan, saying it would “refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient, and resistant to change.”
The agency remains “committed to modernizing a health workforce that for too long prioritized institutional preservation over meaningful public health impact,” Nixon added.
Democrat attorneys general celebrated the ruling, with New York’s Letitia James claiming it “guarantees these programs and services will remain accessible and halts the administration’s attempt to sabotage our nation’s health care system.”
Judge DuBose has ordered the Trump administration to file a compliance status report by July 11, effectively forcing HHS to halt its efficiency improvements.
The agency is reviewing the decision and considering next steps, likely including an appeal to a higher court that may be more respectful of executive authority.
Despite the new legal obstacle, the administration remains committed to fulfilling its pledge to streamline bureaucracy.
