On Aug. 22, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with broad cuts to National Institutes of Health grants connected to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, while leaving unresolved whether the policy itself was lawfully enacted, NBC News reported Aug. 21.
The justices’ 5-4 vote partially approved the administration’s request to pause a Massachusetts judge’s ruling that blocked the cuts, with Justice Amy Barrett providing the swing vote to move the decision forward.
“As today’s order states, the District Court likely lacked jurisdiction to hear challenges to the grant terminations, which belong in the Court of Federal Claims,” Ms. Barrett wrote in a concurring opinion, the publication reported. “[The] government is not entitled to a stay of the judgments insofar as they vacate the guidance documents.”
On Jan. 20, President Trump signed an executive order to remove DEI initiatives from the federal government. He also signed a Jan. 28 executive order to restrict federal funding and support for gender-affirming care for minors.
Since then, the NIH has conducted grant reviews and found more than 1,700 NIH grants allegedly out of alignment with President Trump’s order and has cut them, including gender identity and HIV prevention studies, NBC News reported.
On Aug. 1, 16 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against President Trump and the Justice Department claiming they have illegally blocked needed transgender medical care for minors.
Physician educators quickly weighed in on the decision. “Make no mistake: This was a decision critical to the future of the nation, and the Supreme Court made the wrong choice,” the Association of American Medical Colleges, said in an Aug. 21 news release. “History will look upon these mass National Institutes of Health research grant terminations with shame. The Court has turned a blind eye to this grievous attack on science and medicine, and we call upon Congress to take action to restore the rule of law at NIH.”
