CHICAGO, Illinois: A federal judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from implementing US$600 million in public health funding cuts to four Democratic-led states, ruling that the states are likely to prevail in their legal challenge.

U.S. District Judge Manish Shah in Chicago issued the 14-day block on February 12, preventing the federal government from proceeding with the disputed cuts while the lawsuit moves forward.

California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota filed the lawsuit a day earlier, arguing that the proposed reductions were retaliatory and tied to their opposition to federal immigration enforcement policies.

Judge Shah said the states were likely to succeed in their claim that the funding cuts were intended as retaliation.

The grants at issue are administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and support programs that monitor health threats, respond to disease outbreaks, and prepare for public health emergencies. The affected funding also includes programs focused on HIV prevention and surveillance.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees CDC spending, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to withhold funding from Democratic-led states, though lower court judges have blocked several attempts.

Last month, a judge temporarily barred the administration from freezing more than $10 billion in federal funds for childcare and family assistance in five Democratic-led states, citing concerns about fraud.

Trump has also warned so-called "sanctuary cities or states" that he would begin halting funding in February, saying their policies foment "fraud and crime and all of the other problems that come."