NIH Halts Grant Terminations, Reinstates 900 Grants After Judge Rules Trump-Era Cancellations Illegal, $2.1 Billion Restored in Blue States

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has halted the termination of research grants following a federal judge's ruling that previous cancellations were illegal. The judge criticized the NIH's directives, which led to the cancellation of over 2,400 research projects, as lacking proper justification. In response, the NIH has begun reinstating approximately 900 grants that had been canceled, primarily those related to politically sensitive topics blacklisted during the Trump administration. Analysis shows that the reinstated grants predominantly benefit researchers in Democratic congressional districts, with $2.1 billion in NIH funding restored to blue states compared to $62 million in Republican districts. The disparity arises because only states whose attorneys general participated in the lawsuit challenging the grant cancellations have seen reinstatements. Despite the court order and ongoing reinstatements, NIH staff report that the original directives causing the cancellations have not yet been formally rescinded.