Thoughtful cuts to federal spending and a hunt for government waste are valuable initiatives to protect taxpayers. But only a brief examination of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is necessary to reveal that little thought is being put into its slash-and-burn tactics. A deeper look, meanwhile, exposes how the cuts will harm Americans. With that in mind, a recent lawsuit to prevent cuts to health care spending illuminates the discussion. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has joined 22 other state attorneys general in suing the Trump administration over the cancellation of $12 billion in federal funding to address infectious diseases, substance abuse and mental illness. The cuts include approximately $160 million in Washington. Media outlet Washington State Standard reports that the state Department of Health stands to lose $130 million, affecting some 200 department employees along with others at local health departments, tribal health clinics and community-based organizations.

Brown said: “We can’t make America healthy by spreading preventable diseases. Aside from the illegality of these actions, the administration is also choosing to neglect the biggest public health challenges, including substance abuse and mental health crises, facing our communities.” For one example, The Seattle Times reports that the cuts have halted the state’s Care-a-Van program that helps to immunize undervaccinated communities. A grant of approximately $20 million was rescinded, and 46 employees were laid off. The first Trump administration saw the impact of insufficient public health with the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020. According to a study from Virginia Commonwealth University, there were 522,000 excess deaths in the United States during the first nine months of COVID — or 23 percent more deaths than would have been expected. That was partly due to a lax federal response as Trump downplayed the dangers. Now, outbreaks of measles and the avian flu are reinforcing the need for effective and fully funded public health initiatives — a need that is being underplayed or even ignored by the second Trump administration.

On Tuesday, cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services resulted in the closing of a regional office in Seattle that serves Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. Five other regional offices also closed, and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said: “President Trump and Elon Musk are taking a hatchet job to HHS. This doesn’t make America healthier or more efficient. This is an irresponsible decision that will harm public health in Washington and the Pacific Northwest.” Such indiscriminate cuts also fail to make the U.S. economy healthier. According to Newsweek, more than 60,000 federal workers in various departments were fired during the first two months of this year. Although some of those have been reversed — either because of court order or because DOGE officials realized those jobs have a purpose — the situation provides a jolt to unemployment and social services throughout the country. The firing of most provisional workers — typically those in their first two years of civil service — also destroys the future of agencies by removing entry-level employees who someday would grow into leadership roles. But for the typical Washington resident, the immediate concern is diminished public health. As Trump should have learned five years ago, that is something that affects all Americans.