The Trump administration has agreed to restore dozens of deleted health-related websites and datasets following a lawsuit filed by nine medical organizations, including the Washington State Medical Association. The groups challenged the sudden removal of taxpayer-funded online resources in January, which had provided vital information on pregnancy, opioid use disorder, AIDS, and other public health issues.
The lawsuit named Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials as defendants. Rather than defending its actions in court, the administration settled, marking the third time federal health information has been restored after legal challenges.
Doctors and researchers criticized the deletions as politically motivated, tied to executive orders restricting terms like “gender” and references to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). While many websites will return, some datasets — such as the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) — remain incomplete, since the administration halted data collection and staff layoffs left no one to maintain the program.
Public health experts warn the loss of such data hampers life-saving interventions. “Open data benefits everyone, and ensuring its availability should be a bipartisan priority,” said John Bramhall, MD, president of the Washington State Medical Association.
