Attorney General James Wins Case Against Trump Administration for Illegally Cutting Funding for Medical Research

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today won her lawsuit against the Trump administration for its unlawful cancellation of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants that fund critical medical and scientific advancements. In April, Attorney General James joined a coalition of 15 other attorneys general in suing the administration after it terminated millions of dollars in grant funding for previously approved research projects, including projects focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), LGBTQ+ health, and vaccine hesitancy. In a ruling today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Judge William Young declared the administration’s cuts to NIH funding illegal and void. This follows Judge Young’s verbal decision last week, in which he asserted that the administration’s targeting of funding cuts represented racial discrimination and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.

“This decision is a major victory in our efforts to protect New Yorkers and the entire nation from the administration’s dangerous and illegal attacks on public health,” said Attorney General James. “Today, we’ve restored millions of dollars in life-saving research funds, putting our country back on track in its fight against Alzheimer’s, cancer, and other devastating diseases. We will not allow this administration to discriminate against vulnerable communities and put politics ahead of people’s lives.”

The NIH is the largest public funder of medical research in the world and is responsible for life-saving vaccines that have eradicated several diseases, biomedical discoveries that have reduced the risk of certain cancers, and life-extending treatments for illnesses that were previously a death sentence, like HIV and AIDS. Beginning in March, NIH sent hundreds of letters to researchers notifying them that their grant funding was being withdrawn because their projects “no longer effectuate agency priorities.” The only explanation provided was that the research projects were connected to “DEI,” “transgender issues,” “vaccine hesitancy,” or other topics that the administration does not support.

Last week, Judge Young called the terminations “appalling” discrimination, contending that it is his “duty to call out” such “clear” evidence and he would be “blind not to.” Speaking from the bench, Judge Young said he has “never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable,” saying he has “sat on this bench now for 40 years” and has “never seen government racial discrimination like this.” In today’s written ruling, Judge Young officially ruled that the grant terminations are arbitrary, capricious, and illegal – voiding the terminations and restoring hundreds of unjustly canceled grants.

In New York, this order reinstates grants for projects on Alzheimer’s disease in Asian and Latino Americans, substance abuse risks for LGBTQ+ youth, cardiovascular disease in LGBTQ+ individuals, and HIV treatment in Ghana. It also restores funding for a $3.5 million project that established a groundbreaking training center for health equity researchers studying health disparities in and around Buffalo. In total, more than $4.5 million in research grants for the State University of New York (SUNY) will be restored, protecting critical research and enabling the launch of several key community health initiatives.

Joining Attorney General James in this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.