Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Cut $783 Million from NIH Research, Targeting DEI Initiatives
The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, permitted the Trump administration to cut $783 million from NIH research funding, specifically targeting DEI and gender ideology initiatives.
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Overview
- The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, permitted the Trump administration to cut nearly $783 million from National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding, overturning a lower court order.
- These significant cuts specifically target NIH research grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, along with gender ideology initiatives, aligning with the administration's directives.
- Chief Justice John Roberts and three liberal justices dissented from the 5-4 ruling, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson strongly criticizing the decision to allow these research funding cuts.
- Public health advocacy groups and affected scientists argue these funding cuts will cause significant harm to public health and human life, impacting over 1,700 terminated grants.
- The NIH, the world's largest biomedical research funder, saw this ruling address only a portion of the estimated $12 billion in its research projects that have been cut.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this story by emphasizing the significant negative impacts of the grant cancellations on public health and research. They prominently feature the lower court's strong findings of discrimination and arbitrary decision-making, portraying the Supreme Court's decision as a procedural step rather than an endorsement of the policy's merits, thus highlighting the ongoing controversy.
"Yearslong studies will lose validity."
ARS Technica"The divided decision from the high court enables the administration to pull back awards that it says do not align with its policy objectives."
CBS News"The Supreme Court blocked the district court's order, allowing the Trump administration to pause paying out grants to researchers as this case proceeds in the lower courts."
NPR"Because the current record suggests that the government aimed at the suppression of speech that views DEI, DEIA, and environmental justice favorably, the government has not shown that it is likely to succeed on the merits of its claim that the district court abused its discretion when it concluded the agencies likely terminated the grants based on viewpoint."
Reason"The Trump administration can cancel $783 million in health research funding it says promotes diversity, equity and inclusion, the Supreme Court said Aug. 21 in its latest ruling that allows the president to move forward with policy changes being challenged in court."
USA TODAY"The Trump administration can slash hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of research funding in its push to cut federal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Supreme Court decided Thursday."
ABC News"The court did not fully explain its reasoning, but the majority indicated that groups seeking to challenge the funding cuts have to file separate lawsuits in a different federal venue — the Court of Federal Claims."
NBC News"The order marks the latest Supreme Court win for Trump and allows the administration to forge ahead with canceling hundreds of grants while the lawsuit continues to unfold."
Associated PressArticles (17)
Center (8)
FAQ
The Supreme Court allowed the cuts to align with the Trump administration's directives targeting NIH research grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and gender ideology initiatives, effectively overturning a lower court order blocking these cuts.
Public health advocacy groups and scientists argue that these cuts will cause significant harm to public health and human life by terminating over 1,700 grants, affecting biomedical research, especially related to DEI and gender-focused initiatives.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of allowing the cuts. Chief Justice John Roberts and three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson strongly criticizing the ruling as detrimental to scientific research and public health.
The $783 million cut is only a portion of a broader estimated $12 billion cut in NIH research projects during the Trump administration, indicating a larger trend of significant funding reductions.
The funding cuts primarily target NIH research grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies as well as gender ideology initiatives, reflecting the administration's specific policy focus.
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