New Jersey joins lawsuit challenging federal restrictions on access to social programs
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Monday that the state has joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the federal government over recent rule changes that restrict access to health, education, and workforce development programs based on immigration status.
The coalition argues that new directives issued earlier this month by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, and Justice unlawfully reinterpret the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), effectively barring certain individuals—including some visa holders and U.S. citizens without documentation—from receiving services under federally funded programs.
The lawsuit, led by attorneys general from New York, Washington, and Rhode Island, seeks to halt implementation of the new rules, which plaintiffs claim were enacted without proper procedures and threaten access to services such as Head Start, Title X family planning, adult education, mental health care, and community health centers.
“These changes will prevent many individuals—regardless of immigration status—from receiving services they’ve long relied on,” Platkin said. “They were issued without warning, and we believe they are unlawful.”
The complaint argues that the rules impose new conditions on federal funding without adequate notice or consent, in violation of the Constitution’s Spending Clause and the Administrative Procedure Act. The states are asking the court for a preliminary and permanent injunction and to vacate the rules entirely.
The coalition includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
