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By Gabe Whisnant and Sonam Sheth
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A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the Trump administration's efforts to cut $4 billion in funding for health research grants.
The Context
The pause came after 22 states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and the National Institutes of Health earlier in the day to stop the reductions. The cuts will remain in effect in other U.S. states.
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What To Know
Monday's lawsuit was filed by Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Arizona, California, connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
It names the NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services and their respective acting directors as defendants.
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"Without relief from N.I.H.'s action, these institutions' cutting-edge work to cure and treat human disease will grind to a halt," the lawsuit said. It also claimed the Trump administration's plan to cut overhead costs violates the Administrative Procedure Act.
The plaintiffs asked the court to reverse the cuts, calling them "arbitrary, capricious," and an "abuse of discretion."
They also asked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction barring the NIH and HHS from implementing the cuts, which were set to take effect on Monday.
U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley issued a TRO in response to the lawsuit.
The ruling was the second major legal setback for the Trump administration this week. Earlier Monday, a judge in Rhode Island warned that the administration was in violation of an order halting its federal funding freeze and ordered the government to "immediately restore" trillions of dollars in grants and loans.
It was the first time during Trump's second term that his administration was accused of directly violating a court order.
What People Are Saying
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine decried the cuts, called the decision a "poorly conceived directive" and said she talked to HHS secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about her "strong opposition to these arbitrary cuts in funding for vital research": "He has promised that as soon as he is confirmed, he will re-examine this initiative that was implemented prior to his confirmation."
New York attorney general Letitia James said in a statement accompanying the lawsuit: "This is yet another unlawful and reckless attempt by the Trump administration to undermine vital public institutions and harm the people who rely on them. The administration's decision to cap NIH reimbursement rates could force scientists to shutter their lifesaving research on cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, addiction, infectious diseases, and more."
What Happens Next
Kelley scheduled arguments in the case for later this month.
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