The National Institutes of Health must restore hundreds of recently canceled research grants focused on race, gender and sexual orientation, a federal judge ordered June 16.
The federal government announced in February it would terminate NIH grants related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Since then, 2,282 grants worth $3.8 billion have been cut, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Nearly 1,200 of those grants were tied to hospitals and medical schools, including research focused on HIV/AIDS, mental and behavioral health conditions, cancer, substance use disorders and chronic diseases, according to the AAMC.
On June 16, U.S. District Court Judge William Young directed the NIH to restore much of these grant funds, ruling the cuts are “void and illegal” and accusing the government of racial discrimination and prejudice against the LGBTQ community.
A spokesperson for HHS, which oversees the NIH, told The Hill that the agency plans to appeal or halt the ruling.
The NIH faces significant funding cuts for 2026 as President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, published May 2, would trim the NIH’s funding from around $48 billion to $27 billion. The proposal is undergoing the congressional appropriations process.
