Press Release  AG Campbell Sues Trump Administration Over Illegal Funding Cuts And Delays For Medical And Public Health Research

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in suing the Trump Administration in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts over its unlawful attempt to disrupt grant funding issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The lawsuit challenges the Administration’s unreasonable and intentional delays in reviewing NIH grant applications, as well as its termination of hundreds of already-issued grants.  

“Massachusetts is the medical research capital of the country. Not only do our public research institutions rely on NIH funding for their groundbreaking research, job creation and academic competitiveness, but our residents depend on these studies to propel lifesaving medical advancements,” said AG Campbell. “I won’t allow the Trump Administration to take unlawful actions that play politics with our public health.”  

“Research universities play a critical role in the economic competitiveness of our state and our nation,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “UMass received $285 million from the National Institutes of Health last year to lead life-saving medical research, conduct clinical trials, and ultimately to support our state’s position as a global life sciences leader. The potential loss of millions of dollars in federal funding will harm the university and our students, faculty, and staff, weaken the Commonwealth’s competitive edge, and jeopardize advances in medical treatments and cures.” 

Typically, NIH grant applications must undergo two layers of review: review by a “study section” of subject-matter experts who assess the scientific merit of the proposal and review by an advisory council that considers funding availability and agency priorities. Since January, the Administration has cancelled upcoming meetings for both of these review bodies and has delayed the scheduling of future meetings. Further, NIH has indefinitely withheld issuing final decisions on applications that have already received approval from the relevant study section and advisory council. Currently, the plaintiff states are awaiting decisions on billions of dollars in requested research funding. 

The complaint also alleges that NIH has recently terminated large swaths of already-issued grants for projects that are currently underway based on the projects’ perceived connection to “DEI,” “transgender issues,” “vaccine hesitancy,” or another topic disfavored by the current Administration. In boilerplate letters issued to the grants’ recipients, NIH claims that each cancelled project “no longer effectuates agency priorities.” With these shoddy explanations, the complaint alleges, the Trump Administration has clawed back millions of dollars that have already been awarded to address important public health needs.  

As a result of the Administration’s delays and terminations, the states allege that their public research institutions have experienced significant harm. For example, the University of Massachusetts (UMass) currently has 353 applications for NIH funding currently pending review, signifying approximately $848 million in potential grant funding that would aid in life-saving medical research. One such study aims to investigate a gene that could inform the development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease. Despite expensive investments made in preparation for this research, which had an anticipated start date of April 1, 2025, UMass has had to put the project on hold due to the NIH delaying its advisory council review meeting. Due to the uncertainty of funding for multiple projects, UMass Amherst has reduced its Fall 2025 graduate admissions for doctoral programs from 997 admittees to 712, rescinding financial awards to many of those admitted. 

The coalition argues that by postponing meetings, delaying the review of pending applications, failing to issue final recommendations, and terminating issued grants, NIH is failing to meet its statutory obligations and violating applicable regulations. Further, the coalition argues that the Administration does not have the authority to unilaterally decline spending congressionally appropriated funds. 

 The coalition is asking the Court to compel the Administration to promptly review and issue decisions on delayed grant applications and prohibit them from terminating already-awarded grants. 

On February 10, AG Campbell led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Administration for its attempts to unilaterally cut “indirect cost” reimbursements for NIH grants at nearly every research institution in the country. On March 5, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Administration, preventing it from cutting the funding as the case proceeds. 

Joining AG Campbell in filing today’s lawsuit, which she co-led with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, were the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. 

###