A federal judge upholds injunction on federal worker buyout, Sen. Markey speaks out against potential cuts to public schools, and what about the future of the penny? NBC10 Boston’s Matt Prichard explains.
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A U.S. district court judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's effort to cap medical research after attorneys general from 22 states filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the plan.
The coalition of 22 state attorneys general is challenging, in a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts' federal court, a change to how the hospitals and universities are funded, dropping National Institutes of Health payments for what are known as "indirect costs," like payments for lab space and infrastructure, to 15%. The cuts could be devastating for the institutions' research, which propels medical innovation.
Late Monday U.S. district court judge Angel Kelley granted the states’ request for a restraining order and scheduled a hearing for Feb. 21.
It's the latest lawsuit against the federal government filed by a group of attorneys general that have already won court orders for temporary pauses to other Trump administration policies.
"Massachusetts is the medical research capital of the country. We are the proud home of nation-leading universities and research institutions that save lives, create jobs, and help secure a better future," Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a statement. "We will not allow the Trump Administration to unlawfully undermine our economy, hamstring our competitiveness, or play politics with our public health."
While the attorneys general suing over the policy are Democrats, there has been Republican pushback against the policy as well.
Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, said in a statement calling the cap on indirect cuts "arbitrary" and said she's heard from research institutions in Maine would stop "vital biomedical research and leading to the loss of jobs."
Collins, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, noted that the legislation for this year prohibits the modification of NIH indirect costs through funds, and that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee to lead the agency that oversees the NIH, promised to her that, once confirmed, he'd re-examine the policy.
"There is no investment that pays greater dividends to American families than our investment in biomedical research," Collins said. "In Maine, scientists are conducting much-needed research on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, and on how to improve efficiency in drug discovery, helping to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and conducting many other life-enhancing or life-saving research."
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