BOSTON (AP) — Attorneys general from 22 states filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration for slashing funding for medical and public health research at universities nationwide.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston challenges the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health over efforts to reduce funding that goes to so-called indirect costs — including lab, faculty, infrastructure, and utility costs.
The states argue that research into treating and curing human disease “will grind to a halt” and people would lose access to “modern gene editing, vaccines such as flu vaccines, and cures for diseases like cancer, infectious diseases, and addiction.”
“We will not allow the Trump Administration to unlawfully undermine our economy, hamstring our competitiveness, or play politics with our public health,” Massachusetts Attorney Andrea Campbell said in a statement.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, whose state has several significant research institutions including Brown University and the University of Rhode Island, said the Trump administration seemed “hell-bent on upending advancement in this country.”
“This reduction in funding would seriously threaten the future of this research,” Neronha said in a statement. “If you’ve ever wished for a cure, for better treatment options, for yourself or a loved one, this should feel personal.”
Last week, the NIH announced it was cutting payments toward overhead costs for research institutions that receive its grants, a policy that could leave universities with major budget gaps. Currently, some universities receive 50% or more of the amount of a grant to put toward support staff and other needs, but that would be capped at 15%.
The states want the court to declare that rate change unlawful.
The lawsuit detailed how some research institutions would suffer. For example, the University of Michigan stands to lose $181 million in funding. which would impact “425 NIH-funded trials currently underway, including 161 trials aimed at saving lives,” according to the suit.
And that, the suit said, would cost jobs. “Implementing this 15% cap will mean the abrupt loss of hundreds of millions of dollars that are already committed to employing tens of thousands of researchers and other workers, putting a halt to countless life-saving health research and cutting-edge technology initiatives,” the lawsuit said.
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