ScienceFebruary 12, 2026

States Fight Cuts to Public Health Grants

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② Start Lesson

Key Vocabulary

grant/ɡrænt/

money given by a government or group to pay for a project or service

"The state used the grant to buy lab equipment."

terminate/ˈtɜːr.mə.neɪt/

to stop something officially or permanently

"The agency planned to terminate the grant."

clinic/ˈklɪn.ɪk/

a place where people get medical care

"The clinic offers free testing."

Listening

States Fight Cuts to Public Health Grants

Four U.S. states are suing the federal government over plans to cut public health grants. The states are California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. The lawsuit was filed on February 11, 2026.

The states say the cuts were meant as retribution and will hurt work to control H.I.V. and other sexually transmitted infections. HHS is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and CDC is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grants pay for testing, treatment and local disease tracking.

If the funding stops, clinics and labs may lose staff and services. Local health departments use the money to run vaccine and testing programs.

106 words

Quiz

1. Which states are suing the federal government?

2. When was the lawsuit filed?

3. What diseases did the article say the cuts will hurt efforts to control?

Reading Practice

Read the article from the Listening section aloud. Your AI teacher will give you pronunciation feedback.

Discussion

Do you worry when a local clinic loses funding? What would you do?

Have you ever used a public health clinic or testing service? What happened?

What do you think about local health workers losing jobs because of budget cuts?