NY cuts more than 200 public health jobs following loss of federal funds

New York state's Department of Health has laid off 50 workers and notified 168 public health fellows their program will end early, in the wake of the Trump administration’s abrupt termination of more than $11 billion in health grants to states, an agency spokesperson said.

Erin Clary, the spokesperson, said the job cuts were necessary even as New York and other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, challenge the funding losses in federal court. States across the country are taking similar steps, while federal health agencies are simultaneously cutting thousands of public health jobs.

New York is losing more than $360 million for infectious disease surveillance, mental health and addiction treatment, and other services as a result of the federal cuts, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has argued the terminated grants were mostly used for COVID-19 testing, vaccination and other projects that are no longer needed because the pandemic is over.

“HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a nonexistent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago,” Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the federal department, said in response to a request for comment on the cuts.

The 168 public health fellows were supposed to work through July 2026, but received notice Thursday morning that their last day will be May 30. They’re part of the New York State Public Health Fellowship Corps, a program Gov. Kathy Hochul launched in 2021 to boost the state’s capacity to respond to COVID-19 and future public health emergencies.

The fellows are stationed at the state health department as well as local health departments across New York and receive training and professional development opportunities.

“The decision by the Trump administration to abruptly eliminate this funding is unprecedented and understandably upsetting,” Keshana Owens-Cody, the division director of Public Health Infrastructure at the state Department of Health, wrote in a letter to the fellows, which was shared with Gothamist.

Owens-Cody urged the fellows to advocate for the funding to be restored.

“We encourage you to reach out to your congressional representatives to express your concern over this abrupt discontinuation of obligated funding to your community,” she wrote.

Hochul has separately urged New York Republicans in Congress to fight the public health cuts and New York filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Tuesday to block the cuts, saying they undermine Congress’ power over federal spending.

But some advocates are also pressing Hochul to set aside funding in the state budget to ensure the continuation of the public health work and other programming that’s on the line.

A coalition of state lawmakers sent a letter to Hochul last week urging her to set aside $13.3 million in the state budget to help stabilize any service providers affected by the cuts for at least 60 days while a long-term solution is being developed.

Hochul has said “there is no state in the nation that has the resources to backfill these sweeping cuts.”