US judge rules Trump's cuts to NIH funding illegal

by IANS |

Washington, June 17 (IANS) A federal judge in US city of Boston ruled that the Trump's administration's decision to terminate funding for diversity-related research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was illegal, accusing the administration of discriminating against minority groups.

The NIH canceled more than one billion US dollars in research funding because it was deemed related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. US District Judge William Young said in a non-jury trial that the move has violated federal law and is "void and illegal."

Young, a federal judge nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan, said he would restore funding to organizations and Democratic-led states that had filed lawsuits over the terminations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Young criticised the cancellation of funding for minority-related research, saying, "I've never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable."

"Any discrimination by our government is so wrong that it requires the court to enjoin it and at an appropriate time, I'm going to do it," Young said.

The NIH is the world's largest publicly funded biomedical research organization, awarding approximately 60,000 grants to nearly 3,000 universities and hospitals each year. It has been a key target for funding cuts and federal spending reductions under the Trump administration.

Since Donald Trump took office in his second term as president in January, the NIH has terminated 2,100 research grants totaling approximately $9.5 billion and an additional $2.6 billion in contracts, according to media reports.