High Court ruling on nearly $800 million in funding
The United States Supreme Court issued a narrow 5-4 decision allowing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to stop disbursing approximately $783 million in research grants, at least temporarily. This ruling overturns a lower court’s order that had required the agency to continue payments to affected projects.
Background on the funding freeze
Earlier this year, the NIH began terminating certain federal grants that did not align with current administration policies. Funding was withdrawn from research related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, gender identity studies, vaccine hesitancy, and projects on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency argued that some of these programs had exceeded their original scope.
Legal challenges and ongoing debate
According to NIH guidelines, grants may be ended if they no longer support agency priorities. However, sixteen states, advocacy groups, and researchers filed lawsuits, contending that the sudden termination of these grants is unconstitutional. A federal district judge had initially restored the funding, stating that the NIH lacked sufficient reasoning and criticizing the deviation from the institution’s historically apolitical role.
Next steps in the courts
The Supreme Court’s recent decision allows the administration to pause the distribution of funds while the case moves forward in lower courts. The outcome may influence how far government agencies can go in determining which scientific and academic projects receive federal support.
