More than 20 states sue Trump administration over ‘devastating’ funding cuts for medical research

Attorney generals from 22 states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday over significant cuts to grant funding for universities, medical centers, and other research institutions last week.

The cuts would be “devastating” to staff members and faculty — and could even “prove deadly,” the 59-page lawsuit claimed. The new cap takes effect on Monday.

“The reduction of federal funding to the UCs as set forth in the NIH Notice would be devastating for the UC system,” the states noted. The University of California School system is the world's leading public research university system and the state’s third largest employer.

“UW has long relied on being able to negotiate these rates for years, and has built out its research facilities and headcount accordingly — nothing could have prepared UW for a sudden and stinging rebuke of the federal government’s previous positions,” they said of the University of Washington. “The impacts would be devastating not only to the many staff members and faculty who would likely lose their livelihood, but could also prove deadly.”

“A cut this size is nothing short of catastrophic for countless Americans who depend on UC’s scientific advances to save lives and improve healthcare,” UC President Michael Drake said.

“The discovery of new treatments would slow, opportunities to train the next generation of scientific leaders would shrink, and our nation’s science and engineering prowess would be severely compromised,” Harvard University President Alan Garber wrote.

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Source: The Independent, 10 February 2025