Dallas County has initiated a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration following a significant legal victory in Harris County. The lawsuit challenges the federal government’s demand for the return of $70 million in public health funding that the county claims is unjustified.
Filed in Washington, D.C. on December 5, the lawsuit argues that the request made last spring to return $11.4 billion in unspent pandemic-related funds is illegal. This assertion aligns with the claims made by a coalition of 23 states, led by Democratic governors, and the District of Columbia. They argue that the funds awarded under one presidential administration cannot be reclaimed under another. The legal battle involving these states is still ongoing.
Interestingly, Texas did not join the coalition’s lawsuit, despite the state losing an estimated $700 million in funding. In the case of Dallas County, the public health department was deprived of $70 million that was distributed through the Texas Department of State Health Services. This funding cut resulted in the layoff of nearly 20 employees, with the lawsuit stating that the loss will cause “significant harm” to the county.
The lawsuit emphasizes that the funding, which was initially awarded through new grant programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, was intended to extend beyond the pandemic itself, aimed at mitigating its impact and preparing the county for future public health emergencies. Dallas County’s lawsuit contends that the federal government’s justification for the clawback—asserting that the grants are no longer necessary due to the pandemic’s end—relies on considerations not authorized by Congress and incorrectly presumes that the funds were solely for pandemic-related purposes.
The case is currently under the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who previously ordered the return of $20 million in federal public health funding to Harris County last summer. This legal action from both Dallas and Harris counties signifies a proactive stance taken by Texas’s two largest public health departments, indicating their frustration with state officials’ inaction regarding the recovery of funds originally allocated under a Democratic administration but subsequently reclaimed by a Republican one.
Last spring, the Trump administration stunned public health departments nationwide by announcing that $11 billion in unutilized pandemic-era funds must be returned to federal authorities. While much of this funding was set to expire shortly after the announcement, some local public health departments had until 2026 to utilize the allocated resources.
In Texas, some of the funding that has been cut was instrumental in covering costs related to testing, staffing, and vaccinations during the West Texas measles outbreak. Efforts to obtain comments from the state health department, the Texas Attorney General’s office, and the federal government’s attorneys have not yielded immediate responses.
