Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, alongside a coalition of 16 attorneys general, issued a joint statement today in anticipation of a court hearing regarding the case Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. National Institutes of Health. The hearing will address the plaintiffs' request to extend a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against what they describe as unlawful funding cuts by the Trump Administration. These cuts impact medical and public health research at universities and research institutions nationwide.
AG Campbell is joined by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, 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 institutions across the country is not only unlawful; it undermines public health, our economy and our competitiveness. There are laws in place that protect this funding, and the President cannot simply toss those laws aside."
They further emphasized the importance of this funding for biomedical research infrastructure and clinical trials: "This research funding covers expenses that facilitate critical components of biomedical research... Without it... these cuts would have a devastating impact on universities around the country."
The coalition also expressed their determination to oppose these measures: "Attorneys general are not just fighting for the rule of law; we are fighting for our loved ones... we will not allow President Trump to play politics with our public health." They noted that shortly after filing their lawsuit on February 10th against the Trump Administration's directive to reduce “indirect cost” reimbursements at numerous institutions across the U.S., an emergency TRO was granted by the Court.
AG Campbell co-led this legal action with attorneys general from Illinois and Michigan. Additional support came from attorneys general representing Arizona through Wisconsin.