In a concerted effort to safeguard the future of STEM in America, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is taking legal action against the Trump administration. Joining forces with a cadre of 16 attorneys general, Raoul announced a lawsuit that aims to prevent what they see as illegal attempts by the administration to scale back programs and funding pivotal to the United States' preeminence in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
This lawsuit is not just about funds; it is about the nation's ability to rise up and meet its greatest challenges. "The impact of these illegal cuts would devastate scientific research at universities in Illinois and across the country and would stall efforts to grow the STEM workforce," Raoul said in a statement made by the Illinois Attorney General's Office. The National Science Foundation (NSF) directives that came into effect on April 18, which began to sever funding for projects focusing on enhancing diversity in STEM, are a key target of the litigation.
Furthermore, earlier this month, the NSF announced a controversial decision to cap 'indirect costs' for NSF-funded research projects. These cuts, capped at 15%, potentially impact essential elements like lab space, equipment, and facilities. According to the Illinois Attorney General's Office, Raoul and the coalition argue that these directives violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution by sidestepping Congress's direction for NSF operations.
Advocating for diversity, the NSF's efforts have historically borne fruit as the number of women and people of color in science and engineering careers has seen notable gains between 1995 and 2017. "Between 1995 and 2017, the number of women in science and engineering occupations, or with science or engineering degrees, has doubled. During that same time, people of color went from 15% to 35% of science and engineering job or degree holders," Raoul said, the Illinois Attorney General's Office stated.
The lawsuit also scrutinizes the similarity in the government's method to cap indirect costs which echoes prior attempts by the Trump administration to impose similar reductions on National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Energy (DOE) grants—efforts that courts have already halted, with Raoul and other attorneys general instrumental in these legal challenges. The coalition of attorneys general, joining Raoul, hail from a swath of states from coast to coast, from California to Massachusetts and from New York to Hawaii, indicative of a broad geographic consensus against the NSF's new directives.
