Trump administration to reconsider cut or stalled DEI-related NIH grants

The Trump administration on Monday reached an agreement to reevaluate thousands of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications that were stalled or cut because of their perceived connection to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 

The agreement between the administration, unions and Democratic state attorneys general resolves part of a lawsuit filed against the administration for cancelling hundreds of millions of dollars in research funds.  

A federal judge in Boston previously ruled that the terminations were unlawful and forced the government to reinstate several of the grants.  

The Supreme Court later partially lifted the decision, ruling that legal battles over the terminated grants should be handled by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which specializes in monetary disputes with the government. 

Monday’s agreement resolved part of the battle. The NIH said it will use its standard process to review the stalled, frozen or denied applications, rather than the Trump administration directives terminating grants relating to LGBTQ issues, gender identity and DEI. 

However, the Supreme Court declined to pause the district court’s conclusion that the directives violated the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). The District Court’s decision is on appeal and oral arguments will be heard in the First Circuit Court of Appeals on Jan. 6. 

The agreement sets clear deadlines for the applications to be reviewed and decided on, based on when each application was originally submitted. 

The agreement also confirms that the close of fiscal year 2025 will not prevent the NIH from reviewing or awarding any applications. 

The NIH will not be required to fund any specific application, only to consider them under normal procedure. 

“This agreement allows my grant application, and many others, to move forward for review after an arbitrary and destructive freeze,” plaintiff Nikki Maphis, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of New Mexico studying the aging brain, said in a statement. “I look forward to having my funding proposal evaluated fairly so that I can continue contributing to urgent and unmet public health needs.”