BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has announced that he has joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general suing the Trump administration over its interference with National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding. The lawsuit (PDF), filed in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, alleges that the administration is unlawfully delaying and terminating NIH grants, jeopardizing public health and scientific research.
The lawsuit specifically challenges the administration’s actions since January, including the cancellation and delay of grant review meetings, and the termination of hundreds of awarded grants. According to the complaint, the administration has withheld final decisions on billions of dollars in research funding, impacting numerous public research institutions. This includes delaying decisions on applications that have already received approval from the relevant study section and advisory council.
“The Trump administration’s reckless and politically motivated interference with NIH grant funding is an attack on the very institutions that power scientific innovation and medical breakthroughs,” said Attorney General Brown. He emphasized the administration’s disregard for scientific progress and public well-being.
The coalition alleges that the administration has targeted grants perceived to be connected to topics such as “DEI,” “transgender issues,” and “vaccine hesitancy.” They argue that the administration’s actions, including the termination of 11 grants totaling $15 million for University of Maryland Baltimore and 9 grants amounting to $1 million for University of Maryland College Park, are causing significant harm to public research institutions.
The lawsuit claims that the administration’s delays and terminations violate federal law and regulations. The coalition is seeking a court order to compel the administration to review and issue decisions on pending grant applications and to prohibit further terminations of awarded grants. The coalition argues that the administration cannot unilaterally decline congressionally appropriated spending.
This lawsuit follows a February 10th lawsuit filed by Attorney General Brown and 22 other attorneys general challenging the administration’s attempt to cut “indirect cost” reimbursements for NIH grants. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the administration on March 5th, preventing the funding cuts while the case continues.
This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels
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