Coalition of 22 Attorneys General Challenge NIH Funding Cuts for Universities and Research Institutions

Attorney General Dan Rayfield and 21 other attorneys general today sued the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for unlawfully cutting funds that support cutting-edge medical and public health research at universities and research institutions here and across the country.

“President Trump’s disdain for science has been long evident, but these cuts represent a dangerous culmination of years of undermining trusted public health expertise,” said Rayfield. “It is clear this administration has no concern for the well-being of Americans, especially those who rely on this research to improve their quality of life and protect their health.”

The coalition is challenging the Trump Administration’s attempt to unilaterally cut “indirect cost” reimbursements at every research institution throughout the country. These reimbursements cover expenses to facilitate biomedical research, like lab, faculty, infrastructure, and utility costs. Without them, the lifesaving and life-changing medical research in which the United States has long been a leader, could be compromised.

The NIH is the primary source of federal funding for medical research in the country. Medical research funding by NIH grants have led to innumerable scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of treatment for cancers of all types, the first sequencing of DNA and the development of the MRI.

The lawsuit was filed today in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts and can be found here. 

On Friday, February 7, the NIH announced it would abruptly slash indirect cost rates to an across-the-board 15% rate, which is significantly less than the cost required to perform cutting edge medical research. The NIH planned to make this cut effective the very next business day, which is today, giving universities and institutions no time to plan for the enormous budget gaps they are now facing.

This coalition filing this lawsuit includes the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.