Federal judge blocks 'catastrophic' Trump administration cut to NIH grant funding

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday prevented the National Institutes of Health from changing the percentage that universities and medical schools are paid in facilities and administrative costs in 22 states that filed a lawsuit, blocking a decision that was rebuked by academic institutions throughout the country and members of Congress.

Judge Angel Kelley of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts entered the brief, two-page order, which “shall remain in effect until further order of this Court.” Kelley set an in-person hearing date for Feb. 21.

The order followed a long weekend of speculation as research universities and medical schools grappled with how to implement a major change in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health that they warn could curtail breakthroughs or halt projects altogether, and that a senior Democrat in Congress called “nothing short of catastrophic.”

The NIH announced Friday that it would cap “Facilities and Administrative” costs at 15%, a significant reduction for many institutions that use grants from the federal agency to conduct research into some of the more daunting health diagnoses, like Alzheimer’s and cancer.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/02/10/repub/research-universities-reel-from-catastrophic-trump-administration-cut-to-nih-funding/