Trump admin settles lawsuit, agrees to restore deleted DEI, gender health web pages

A large Washington-based medical association announced Tuesday they had reached a settlement with the Trump administration requiring the restoration of dozens of public health web pages and datasets tied to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and gender identity.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not comment on the settlement, but told Fox News Digital it remains “committed to its mission of removing radical gender and DEI ideology from federal programs, subject to applicable law, to ensure taxpayer dollars deliver meaningful results for the American people.”

The Washington State Medical Association and Doctors for America sued HHS and other agencies in May after the Trump administration, following executive orders in January, directed the removal of hundreds of web pages and datasets that referenced gender identity or diversity, equity and inclusion, LGBTQ+ health, racism, vaccines, opioid use, and Biden-era abortion policies on federal health websites.

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The settlement requires the Trump administration to restore the deleted health web pages, though officials have not said when they will go back online. Once reposted, the guidance will again be available to doctors and patients as the president continues his push to terminate federal DEI programs.

As of Tuesday, the medical association said the defendants “have agreed to restore webpages and data that were wrongfully deleted, ensuring that these critical resources are once again available to physicians, scientists, medical professionals, and the American public.”

“I am extremely proud of the health care community in Washington state and our partners in this case for pushing back on this egregious example of government overreach,” Dr. John Bramhall, president of the WSMA, said in a statement. 

In February, Bush-appointed U.S. District Judge John Bates issued a temporary restraining order requiring the content be restored while the case proceeded. The parties later agreed to pause the case in August while negotiating a resolution, leading to this week’s announced settlement.

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Court records filed Aug. 15 show both sides told the judge they had reached a settlement “in principle” and asked for a 45-day pause to finalize the deal. Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Lauren King granted the request, formally putting the case on hold while the agreement is implemented.

Defendants in the lawsuit include HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Matthew Buzzelli, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Martin A. Makary, and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Thomas J. Engels. 

Web pages from the FDA, NIH, HRSA, Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) were also removed, according to the medical group’s complaint.

Among the removals included the CDC’s page on supporting LGBTQ+ youth and another with facts about LGBT youth suicide. The NIH took down its Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office site, while the HHS erased an entire web page on abortion-related resources. The VA also removed a page offering guidance on medical care for LGBTQ+ veterans.

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The Washington State Medical Association represents more than 13,000 health officials and medical students across all specialties in Washington state, according to its website.

In January, the Trump administration began purging web pages not aligned with the president’s executive orders titled, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” and “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” The orders directed federal agencies to recognize sex as only male and female and terminated DEI initiatives.