In March, the Trump administration clawed back more than $11 billion in public health funding that had been distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Harris County and other local governments from across the country subsequently sued.

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

A federal judge has sided with Harris County and other local governments from across the country to restore public health funding terminated earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The ruling, issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper, ordered the restoration of nearly $20 million in federal funding to Harris County. According to the Harris County Attorney’s Office, the funds are essential to several Harris County Public Health programs, including its wastewater surveillance efforts and a program that assists low-income residents with healthcare and food.

“This ruling is a win for Harris County residents and public health departments across the county,” acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement. “The federal government cannot simply ignore Congress and pull the plug on essential services that communities rely on. Today’s decision ensures we can keep doing the work that protects our residents.”

In March, the Trump administration clawed back more than $11 billion in public health funding that had been distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harris County sued HHS a week later, arguing it would lose more than $19 million in funding and that the funds were not limited to the duration of the pandemic. The county joined other plaintiffs in the case, including local governments from Kansas City, Nashville and Columbus, Ohio.

RELATED: Harris County sues Trump administration after $19 million public health funding cut

In siding with Harris County and the other local governments, the judge ruled HHS did not have the authority to cut funding already appropriated by Congress.

“Local governments can’t plan or protect residents when federal agencies pull the rug out from under them without legal authority,” Menefee said. “This decision restores stability for our public health system and reaffirms that Congress, not unelected bureaucrats, decides how public dollars are spent.”

An HHS spokesperson did not comment on the judge’s ruling in a statement Wednesday, instead repeating a sentiment expressed after the funding was terminated.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago,” the spokesperson said. “The Department remains committed to directing resources towards urgent challenges that address the chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again.”