Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 22 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The lawsuit challenges what they claim are unlawful cuts to funds supporting medical and public health research at universities and research institutions nationwide.
The coalition argues that the administration's decision to cut "indirect cost" reimbursements could jeopardize essential biomedical research. These reimbursements cover various expenses necessary for conducting research, such as laboratory costs, faculty salaries, infrastructure, and utilities. The lawsuit aims to prevent these changes, which the coalition describes as reckless and illegal.
In 2025 alone, NIH awarded $65 million to five Minnesota institutions. This includes $37 million allocated to the University of Minnesota and $29 million to the Mayo Clinic. According to Attorney General Ellison, “The NIH funds critical research into fighting chronic and catastrophic disease in every corner of our country... Abruptly and arbitrarily slashing funding for the NIH isn’t only dangerous and cruel; it’s against the law.”
On February 7, NIH announced an across-the-board reduction in indirect cost rates to 15%, effective immediately on February 10. This sudden change left universities with no time to adjust their budgets. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for Massachusetts contends that this action violates the Administrative Procedure Act. It also references a directive from Congress during President Trump's first term that prevents categorical changes to indirect cost reimbursements.
The NIH is recognized as a primary source of federal funding for medical research in the United States. Its grants have contributed significantly to scientific advancements such as cancer treatments, DNA sequencing, MRI development, and have supported numerous Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
Attorney General Ellison is joined by attorneys general from Massachusetts, Illinois, Michigan—who co-led the coalition—and others from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island Vermont Washington Wisconsin.