Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow $783 Million NIH Grant Cuts

The move aims to bypass lower court blocks on cuts to hundreds of millions of dollars in diversity-focused biomedical research.

General view shows The United States Supreme Court, in Washington, U.S., February 8, 2024. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/File Photo
FILE - A healthcare worker prepares a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

Overview

  • The administration filed an emergency appeal seeking to lift Judge William Young’s June injunction that halted NIH’s plan to cancel $783 million in grants tied to diversity, equity and inclusion and transgender health studies.
  • In June, Young ruled the abrupt terminations were arbitrary, capricious and discriminatory, ordering NIH to reinstate funding after lawsuits by 16 Democratic-led states and researchers.
  • On July 18, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government’s request for a stay, prompting today’s request for Supreme Court intervention.
  • Solicitor General D. John Sauer cited the Court’s April emergency order on teacher training grants to argue that challenges to funding cuts belong in the Court of Federal Claims, not district courts.
  • Scientists and public health advocates warn that the cuts will politicize research and undermine global health efforts as the administration pursues its broader agenda to end DEI funding.