Attorney General Nick Brown has taken aim at the Trump Administration, co-leading a multistate legal bout that was filed today in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. The lawsuit is a united front between sixteen state attorneys general against what they claim are unlawful meddlings by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in grant funding. This is the second time state attorneys general have come together to sue NIH over cancelled funding, as reported by Washington State's Office of the Attorney General.
The accusations are hefty, alleging that the Trump administration has intentionally delayed the review process for NIH grant applications and terminated hundreds of grants that had already been issued. Particularly targeted, according to the states, are projects the Administration disagrees with, such as those focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, or vaccine research. Brown highlighted the damage, saying, "The Trump administration’s illegal withholding of funding stops life-saving advances in medical, agricultural, and public health research." Not only are scientific advancements being hindered, but research jobs are also at risk.
As an illustration of the impact, it has been noted that the University of Washington, which receives more federal research dollars than any other public university in the nation, is particularly affected. In fiscal year 2024, the institution boasted receiving over 1,220 NIH grants totaling upwards of $648 million. Now, they are facing terminations of grants in critical areas such as trauma research, sexually transmitted infections, and the effects of pollution on Alzheimer’s disease. The NIH’s reluctance to act has cascaded into interruptions in research across the board, with areas like cancer studies and Alzheimer’s research taking a hit, leading to potential furloughs and layoffs amongst the research community.
Attorneys general from states such as Massachusetts, California, and Maryland are backing Brown's push against the NIH's actions. Together, they represent a cross-section of the nation—from the sun-kissed West Coast to the historic Northeast—united in a legal claim to compel the government to move forward with prompt reviews and decisions on the billions of dollars in research funding that hang in the balance. Previously, Brown had joined forces with a coalition of 22 attorneys general, challenging cost-reimbursement cuts for NIH grants. On March 5, their efforts saw success when a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to stop the administration from cutting funds.
With important research projects and jobs on the line, the multistate lawsuit serves as a critical juncture in the ongoing struggle between state authorities and federal actions around public health and science funding. According to Brown's office, this legal action seeks not only to secure the allocated funds for Washington’s research institutions but also to protect the integrity of scientific inquiry and public health advancements across the nation.
