A coalition of state attorneys general sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its decision to cut $11 billion in federal funds that go toward COVID-19 initiatives and various public health projects across the country.

Attorneys general from 23 states filed the suit in federal court in Rhode Island. They include Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, as well as attorneys general in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit argues the cuts are illegal, and that the federal government did not provide “rational basis” or facts to support the cuts. The attorneys general say it will result in “serious harm to public health” and put states “at greater risk for future pandemics and the spread of otherwise preventable disease and cutting off vital public health services.”

The lawsuit asks the court to immediately stop the Trump administration from rescinding the money, which was allocated by Congress during the pandemic and mostly used for COVID-related efforts such as testing and vaccination. The money also went to addiction and mental health programs.

“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,” James said Tuesday in a news release.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which began serving employees dismissal notices on Tuesday in what’s expected to total 10,000 layoffs, said it does not comment on ongoing litigation.

HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon pointed to the agency’s statement from last week, when the decision to claw back the money was announced. The HHS said then that it “will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”

Local and state public health departments are still assessing the impact of the loss of funds, though the lawsuit points to the claw back putting hundreds of jobs at risk and weakening efforts to stem infectious diseases like flu and measles.

Health officials in Oregon, which joined the lawsuit, announced last week that the state was losing $117 million in federal funding that supported a range of programs, including behavioral health initiatives, health equity efforts and immunization programs.

“This reckless termination of billions of dollars in grants is not just an attack on the states, it’s an assault on the well-being of every American,” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a statement. “We can’t stand by idly while the very foundation of our public health system is dismantled.”