The Department of Health and Human Services has cut millions of dollars in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics, as the group is suing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., over vaccine policy.

HHS has canceled seven grants that supported initiatives aimed at reducing sudden infant deaths, improving teen and young adult health, preventing birth defects, and identifying autism early, according to an academy spokesperson, NBC News reported.

Department spokesperson Andrew Nixon told the news outlet that the grants “were canceled along with a number of other grants to other organizations because they no longer align with the Department’s mission or priorities.”

When asked about the agency’s priorities, Nixon sent links to the “about” pages on the websites of HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

American Academy of Pediatrics CEO and Executive Vice President Mark Del Monte said the group learned this week about the grants being cut and is exploring “all available options, including legal recourse.”

“The Academy is proud of this work, and of the staff, pediatricians, and partners who were engaged in these important programs,” Del Monte said in a statement. “The sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth, and their families in communities across the United States.”

In July, along with several other major medical organizations, the academy sued Kennedy and HHS over actions they called a “public health emergency that demands immediate legal action and correction.”

The lawsuit followed the firing of all members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and their replacement with new members, many of whom are vaccine critics. The academy, which had participated in the committee's meetings as a liaison member, announced in June that it was boycotting them.