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BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general in issuing a joint statement ahead of a court hearing in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. National Institutes of Health.
At today’s hearing, the plaintiffs will seek an extension of its
Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Trump administration’s
unlawful cuts to funds that support cutting-edge medical and public
health research at universities and research institutions across the
country.
Attorney
General Brown joins the attorneys general of Arizona, California,
Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and
Washington in issuing the following statement:
“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.
“This
research funding covers expenses that facilitate critical components of
biomedical research, such as lab, faculty, infrastructure and utility
costs. Without it, lifesaving and life-extending research, including
clinical trials, would be significantly compromised. These cuts would
have a devastating impact on universities around the country, many of
which are at the forefront of groundbreaking research efforts – while
also training future generations of researchers and innovators. They
would force many universities to redirect funds and ultimately reduce
research activities. Research funded by the National Institutes of
Health has furthered our understanding of medical conditions and found
new treatments for adult and childhood cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s Disease,
heart disease, PTSD and more.
“Attorneys
general are not just fighting for the rule of law; we are fighting for
our loved ones, our friends and our neighbors, and we will not allow
President Trump to play politics with our public health. 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. Today, we urge the Court to continue
to block these funding cuts as we keep fighting this reckless abuse of
power.”
On February 10, Attorney General Brown joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit
against the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human
Services, and the NIH in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts
challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to unilaterally cut
“indirect cost” reimbursements at every research institution throughout
the country. Less than six hours after the attorneys general filed their
lawsuit, the Court issued a temporary restraining order against the
NIH, barring it from cutting billions in funding for biomedical and
public health research.
In
filing the lawsuit, Attorney General Brown was joined by the attorneys
general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware,
Hawai‛i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island,
Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
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