BOSTON – Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell led a coalition of attorneys general across 21 states in a lawsuit filed on Feb. 10 against the Trump Administration’s cuts to medical research funding. A temporary restraining order prohibiting the cuts was issued in federal court hours after the lawsuit was filed.
On Wednesday, March 5, a federal judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction, which prohibits the cuts until the courts resolve Massachusetts v. NIH.
The order prevents the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from cutting billions of dollars in funds that medical and public health research at universities and research institutions.
On Feb. 7, the NIH published guidance that unilaterally set the indirect cost rate for NIH grants at 15 percent for all expenses, for all new and current grants, starting on Feb. 10. Prior to the new order, universities and NIH negotiated this rate, which typically ranges between 25 percent and 70 percent.
Indirect costs means costs not directly associated with the research, which can include office space, equipment, legal services, administrative support, benefits for researchers, etc.
“This is a major win for research institutions across the country – in both red and blue states – that rely on NIH funding to conduct innovative research, as well as for the individuals and families who depend on these medical advancements to improve and even save their lives,” said Campbell. “We will not play politics with our residents’ public health, and we do this work to protect our residents, including children, regardless of their party or demographic.”
Joining Massachusetts in co-leading the case are the attorneys general of Illinois and Michigan. The other plaintiffs are Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
