California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with 15 other attorneys general, has issued a joint statement ahead of a court hearing in the case Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The hearing is scheduled to address the plaintiffs' request for an extension of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Trump Administration's decision to cut funds that support medical and public health research.
The coalition of attorneys general includes representatives from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. They collectively stated: "The Trump Administration’s attempt to cut research funding at thousands of research institution across the country is not only unlawful; it undermines public health, our economy and our competitiveness."
They emphasized that such funding supports critical biomedical research components and without it, significant research efforts could be compromised. "These cuts would have a devastating impact on universities around the country," they noted. The coalition argued that these actions could lead to reduced research activities at institutions leading pioneering efforts in various fields.
The attorneys general are challenging the Trump Administration's policy on legal grounds and expressed their commitment to safeguarding public health interests. They stated: "We are heartened that less than six hours after filing our lawsuit, the Court recognized the devastating impacts of this directive and granted an emergency temporary restraining order preventing the Administration from implementing these unlawful cuts."
Attorney General Bonta was part of a larger group of 22 attorneys general who filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration on February 10. This lawsuit challenges attempts to unilaterally reduce “indirect cost” reimbursements at research institutions nationwide. The U.S. District Court for Massachusetts responded by issuing a TRO against NIH shortly after the lawsuit was filed.