James Blocks Trump’s $850M Research Funding Cut

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James, alongside a coalition of 21 other state attorneys general, landed a critical blow today, halting the Trump administration’s attempt to gut funding for vital medical and scientific research. The move stops a scheme that threatened to slash billions in funding to institutions across the country, a blatant disregard for public health and scientific advancement.

Attorney General James and the coalition secured a nationwide preliminary injunction against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Trump administration’s plan, announced February 7th, involved an abrupt cut to indirect cost rates for research grants – slashing them to a mere 15 percent, far below the actual cost of conducting advanced medical research. The administration attempted to ram the cuts through with just one business day’s notice, leaving universities and research institutions scrambling to address the gaping budget holes.

“The president may want to play politics with public health, but we refuse to risk the resources Americans rely on,” Attorney General James stated bluntly. “Without this lawsuit, New York could have lost $850 million in funding and researchers would have been forced to abandon vital research projects on cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. We will always fight back against these harmful, illegal cuts that slow down life-saving medical research, hurt our economy, and take away jobs.”

The legal battle began February 10th when Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, HHS, and NIH, challenging the unilateral attempt to cut indirect cost reimbursements. Within six hours, the court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) blocking the cuts. Today’s order extends those protections, ensuring the critical, life-saving research can continue. The NIH is the primary federal funding source for medical research, responsible for countless breakthroughs – from cancer treatments to DNA sequencing and the development of MRI technology – and has funded researchers who have earned dozens of Nobel Prizes.

The potential impact on New York was staggering. With $5 billion in open NIH grants currently funding institutions statewide, the proposed cap threatened approximately 250 organizations, including most universities and medical schools. The State University of New York (SUNY) system, encompassing the University at Albany, Stony Brook, and the University at Buffalo, stood to lose $78 million, potentially forcing the abandonment of groundbreaking research on cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Joining Attorney General James in this fight are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The message is clear: attempts to undermine vital scientific research will be met with fierce resistance.