Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, allying with 15 other state attorneys general in an effort to protect funding and programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The lawsuit aims to halt what the coalition deems "illegal attempts" to cut essential NSF initiatives that support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) across the country. According to a statement from Campbell's Office, the NSF began efforts to terminate projects aimed at promoting diversity in STEM fields on April 18 and later imposed a cap on the indirect costs of research projects at 15 percent on May 2, actions that threaten both the progress and leadership of the United States in scientific arenas.
In her statement, AG Campbell expressed her resolve to maintain the global scientific standing of the nation, particularly noting how this affects Massachusetts. "Massachusetts is home to world-renowned scientific research institutions that not only drive innovative solutions to our world’s most pressing challenges, but also ensure our nation maintains its global, scientific leadership," Campbell said. She continued to underscore the importance of these NSF programs to the public health, economy, and national security of not just Massachusetts, but the entire nation, and assured that this legal action aims to block NSF's new directives which, the coalition believes, are unwarranted and damaging.
The announcement further includes data showcasing the success of NSF's diversity policies between 1995 and 2017, where the number of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in science and engineering professions has seen significant growth. However, the lawsuit states that dozens of diversity-focused projects have already been canceled as a consequence of the NSF's recent actions, stifling a history of progress.
The states involved in the lawsuit claim that the NSF's imposed indirect cost cap would devastate university research throughout the country, citing the necessity of such funds for infrastructure and ongoing projects critical to national security, public health, and economic stability. The administrations previous attempts to cut indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Energy (DOE) grants were halted by courts, an outcome the attorneys general hope to replicate with this new lawsuit. AG Campbell and her coalition argue the directives not only contravene the Administrative Procedure Act, but also the Constitution, by improperly altering NSF policy and overlooking Congress's intentions for the operation of the NSF.
The coalition, which includes the attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, is seeking a court order to declare NSF's new policies illegal and prevent them from being enacted. These actions highlight the ongoing conflict between state governments and federal administration over the direction and funding of critical research and education programs.
