Blue states hold on to public health dollars while red states lose out
After the Trump administration slashed billions in state and local public health funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year, the eventual impact on states split sharply along political lines.
Democratic-led states that sued to block the cuts kept much of their funding, while Republican-led states lost the bulk of theirs, according to a new analysis from health research organization KFF.
The uneven fallout underscores how politics continues shaping health care in the United States. The nearly 700 CDC grants were worth about $11 billion and had been allocated by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, state and local health departments had spent or planned to spend the money not just on COVID-related efforts, but also on prevention of other infectious diseases, support for mental health and substance use, shoring up aging public health infrastructure, and other needs.
The CDC grant terminations initially affected red and blue states about evenly, according to KFF. California, the District of Columbia, Illinois and Massachusetts — all led by Democrats — had among the largest numbers of terminated grants.
But then nearly two dozen blue states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration in April, asking the court to block the grant terminations. They argued the federal government lacked the authority to rescind funding it had already allocated.
“The Trump administration’s illegal and irresponsible decision to claw back life-saving health funding is an attack on the well-being of millions of Americans,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in an April statement announcing the lawsuit.
“Slashing this funding now will reverse our progress on the opioid crisis, throw our mental health systems into chaos, and leave hospitals struggling to care for patients.”
A federal judge sided with the blue states and blocked the cancellations — but she limited her injunction to the jurisdictions that filed in the lawsuit.
Nearly 80% of the grant cuts have now been restored in blue states, according to the KFF analysis, compared with less than 5% in red states.
Now four of the five states with the most canceled grants are led by Republicans: Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. California, which is dominated by Democrats, kept all of its grants that had been initially terminated.
In the West and Midwest, Democratic-led Colorado — which joined the lawsuit — had 10 of its 11 grant terminations reversed. Its Republican-led neighbors that did not sue, including Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming, lost all of their grants, according to the KFF analysis.
Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@stateline.org
SC's cancelled grants
FROM SC DAILY GAZETTE
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cancelled 10 grants in South Carolina, leaving more than $100 million in unspent funds on the table.
Nine of those grants went to the state Department of Public Health. A 10th grant went to privately-owned hospital system Prisma Health and its hospitals in the Midlands.
In all, the Palmetto State was in line for more than $555 million. Health officials spent all but about 18% of what they were eligible for, according to numbers confirmed by the state public health agency.
Many of the grants, funded by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic, were focused on monitoring, testing for and vaccinating against the highly contagious virus that swept across the globe. But health officials also had plans related to other infectious diseases.
In South Carolina, that included general training for healthcare workers on controlling and preventing infectious diseases and support for tracking of illnesses, including hepatitis C and syphilis, that are especially harmful to pregnant women and children who are exposed while in the womb.
Nearly half — about $49 million — of the unspent funds had been slated for improvements to the laboratories that test for and alert officials to disease outbreaks.
None of South Carolina’s frozen grant funding was reinstated.
Anna Claire Vollers covers health care for Stateline. She is based in Huntsville, Alabama.
DPH Confirms Measles in Upstate Resident; Third Case of Measles in South Carolina in 2025
COLUMBIA — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) has confirmed a case of measles in an Upstate resident. This is the third confirmed case of measles reported in South Carolina since July 2025.
The person is unvaccinated and did not have immunity from a previous measles infection. They do not have a specific, known exposure to someone with measles, but they did have a recent international trip to a country with an ongoing measles outbreak and were not contagious while traveling. Currently, they are isolating at home to prevent further spread of the virus.
DPH confirmed it was a positive measles case after receiving test results from its certified public health laboratory. The agency has begun a contact investigation and is notifying people who may have been exposed.
“Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that affects the respiratory tract, and can result in serious complications affecting the brain, blood cells, complications in pregnancy, and long-term neurologic effects,” said Dr. Linda Bell, state epidemiologist and Health Programs Branch director. “This virus spreads quickly, which is why we must act now to prevent its spread.”
Measles can lead to hospitalization and even death. The initial symptoms of measles include fever, cough, and runny nose. These symptoms are followed by a rash. The rash usually lasts five or six days.
The virus can be spread through the air when a person with measles breathes, coughs, or sneezes. Measles virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after the sick person is gone from the area. People with measles should stay home from work or school for four days after their rash first appears. It is also important for people without immunity to the virus who are exposed to measles to quarantine as instructed, because a person who is infected with measles is contagious from four days before the rash begins through four days after its onset.
"It is crucial that health care providers and the public be aware of the symptoms associated with this disease,” Dr. Bell said. “It is proven that the best way to prevent measles is by vaccination. I strongly encourage everyone to review their immunization records to make sure they are up to date on all vaccinations and to talk with their health care provider about the benefits and risks of getting vaccinated."
The measles vaccine is over 97% effective. Children should receive two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine: the first at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second at 4 to 6 years of age. Children 6 to 12 months should get an early dose of MMR vaccine if they are traveling to a country where measles is common. For all ages, it is important to talk to your doctor if you are going to be traveling to another country. Most people born before 1957 were infected with measles during childhood and, therefore, are presumed to have protection via natural immunity, even if they have not been vaccinated. Certain groups of people, including pregnant women and immunocompromised people, should not receive the MMR vaccine or should delay receiving it. DPH recommends and encourages people to speak with their health care provider to evaluate the risks and benefits of vaccination.
Cases of Measles in South Carolina in 2025
In July, South Carolina had two confirmed cases of measles. The first case was reported, and the second case was identified later and was a known close contact of the first case. Both cases isolated to prevent community spread of measles. In September, South Carolina has one confirmed case of measles that is not associated with the July cases. It total, South Carolina has had three cases of measles in 2025 to date.
For more information about measles visit the DPH website or CDC website.
