Federal health officials said Tuesday they are pulling back $11.4 billion in COVID-19-related funds for local public health departments and other health organizations throughout the nation. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said it said the department will stop wasting money responding to what it called a non-existent pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services canceled around $12 billion in federal grants to states that were allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal department and state officials said on Wednesday.

Federal health officials said they are cutting $11.4 billion in COVID-19-related funds for state and local public health departments.