US Judge Bars Trump Administration From Cutting NIH Research Funding

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: US News and World Report/Reuters

March 5, 2025, at 2:46 p.m.


BOSTON (Reuters) -A U.S. judge Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from carrying out steep cuts to federal grant funding for research that universities and Democratic-led states warn would lead to layoffs, lab closures and a curtailment of scientific and medical studies.

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston issued a nationwide injunction at the request of 22 Democratic state attorneys general and groups representing medical schools and universities who argued the National Institutes of Health's planned funding cuts were unlawful.

The judge, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, had on February 10 temporarily blocked NIH from moving forward with the cuts until she could hear arguments in the litigation. She later extended that order while considering whether to issue a longer term injunction.

NIH did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2025-03-05/us-judge-bars-trump-administration-from-cutting-nih-research-funding

[hlthe2b]

1. It takes major numbers of NIH staff to oversee these grants (not just administrators) but professional staff

not to mention to review new funding and to ensure any funded clinical trials (whether NIH is participating or not) are meeting HSRB/IRB (human subjects review boards) and FDA approvals where present, as well as the protocols for the trials. JUst restoring the funding is not going to get it done.

[AmericaUnderSiege]

2. We're relying too much on this whole judge thing.

We need to rethink the concept. It's a bit like soft dictatorship. Even when it goes our way, we're just feeding into an authoritarian concept. Grand juries are a way better idea, but we need to work around the process of getting them started.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. "Grand juries are a way better idea, but we need to work around the process of getting them started."

The only grand juries that would be do-able are state ones to determine a violation of state law because Bondi would never allow a federal one.

[AmericaUnderSiege]

4. Not to be a downer, but this isn't a constitutionally legal government in the first place.

We're literally under an occupation.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Well there are still parts that are functional

and they are "testing the limits", where the GOP has realized and are all but admitting that they are allowing law violations, so they are trying to "mitigate" - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143410762

They are in "playing it off" mode now.

[AmericaUnderSiege]

6. Yeah, stochastic terrorism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stochastic_terrorism

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Very popular term on DU for years!

It's now actually happening.