Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction that will restore the grants and block the cuts from taking effect while the case proceeds.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cut million in grant funding to AAP last month, saying they were cut because they no longer aligned with the department’s priorities. AAP alleged in its suit that it was cut in retaliation for its criticisms of HHS’s actions throughout 2025.
The grants represent almost two-thirds of AAP’s federal funding, and if allowed to take effect, would have forced the organization to lay off about ten percent of its staff.
Howell concluded that HHS had a likely “retaliatory motive” for the terminations, due to the AAP’s outspoken opposition to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The AAP publicly broke with HHS last year, continuing to recommend that children receive the COVID-19 vaccine after the Food and Drug Administration issued a smaller indication for the updated shot, no longer approving it for healthy young children. The group also spoke out when Kennedy fired the entire vaccine advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This action drew Kennedy’s ire, with the secretary taking to social media soon after to accuse the organization of being “corporate friendly,” an accusation he frequently lobs at his opponents.
“This is not a case about whether AAP or HHS is right or even has the better position on vaccinations and gender-affirming care for children, or any other public health policy,” Howell wrote in his ruling.
“This is a case about whether the federal government has exercised power in a manner designed to chill public health policy debate by retaliating against a leading and generally trusted pediatrician member professional organization focused on improving the health of children.”
