Susan Collins claims Trump's research reductions are illegal, while states file lawsuits to prevent them
The Maine Republican, who holds the position of the Senate's leading appropriator, stated that she has received a commitment from HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “re-examine” the cuts.
TroibNews 
Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Senate committee overseeing government funding, stated on Monday that the Trump administration's decision to cut $4 billion in health research grant funding breached the appropriations law enacted by Congress last March. This announcement comes as 22 states have initiated a lawsuit to challenge the cuts.
The reductions specifically target the “indirect” overhead costs of National Institutes of Health grantees, with Collins asserting that these changes “would be devastating, stopping vital biomedical research and leading to the loss of jobs.” In a statement, she expressed her strong opposition to the cuts and communicated this sentiment to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee for the lead position at the NIH’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to Collins, “He has promised that as soon as he is confirmed, he will re-examine this initiative that was implemented prior to his confirmation.”
Collins is anticipated to cast her vote this week in favor of Kennedy’s confirmation to lead HHS, and she will be instrumental in legislation set for next month aimed at funding the government for fiscal 2025.
During the announcement on Friday, the administration indicated it would limit the funding added to health research grants to cover overhead costs to just 15 percent. This change affects fees that typically increase grant costs by an average of 27 percent, with significant variations. Notably, large research institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Johns Hopkins have been known to receive indirect cost add-ons exceeding 60 percent of their grants.
Collins expressed concern for the universities in her home state of Maine, emphasizing that the NIH had previously agreed on these funding levels during negotiations with the institutions.
On Friday, the NIH director’s office released a statement indicating that the negotiated rates were higher than those received from private foundations funding research and that the agency was reducing these fees as part of a strategy to “carefully steward grant awards to ensure taxpayer dollars are used in ways that benefit the American people and improve their quality of life.” Dr. Matthew Memoli, a career staff member at the agency, is currently acting as the director, while Trump's choice for NIH leadership, Stanford health economist Jay Bhattacharya, awaits Senate confirmation.
The lawsuit initiated by 22 state attorneys general, all Democrats, argues that the NIH’s “unlawful action” will severely impact critical public health initiatives at universities and research institutions. The filing in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts states, “Without relief from NIH’s action, these institutions’ cutting-edge work to cure and treat human disease will grind to a halt.”
The reduced fee schedule was set to become effective on Monday. Erik Fatemi, a principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs and former Democratic staffer on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing healthcare spending, remarked, “This announcement dropped like a neutron bomb on research universities across the country.” He added, “It’s really hard to overstate the anxiety they’re feeling about what this will mean for their research capabilities.” Fatemi emphasized that the response from Republican members of Congress could be crucial, noting that NIH funding affects every state, including many Republican areas.
In addition to Collins, Alabama GOP Senator Katie Britt shared her intention to discuss the changes with Kennedy, asserting that “a smart, targeted approach is needed in order to not hinder life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions like those in Alabama.”
If the attorneys general's lawsuit is successful, it could increase pressure on Republican lawmakers since the suit only covers the plaintiffs, as noted during a Monday press conference.
Conservative budget hawks have long expressed a desire to curtail indirect research funding. In 2017, the Trump administration proposed capping the indirect research funding rate at 10 percent, prompting Congress to add language to a 2018 appropriations bill to prohibit such a move. This provision has been included in every appropriations bill since, including the 2024 bill Collins referred to, which remains in effect.
“NIH’s move is just simply illegal,” stated Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul during the Monday press conference.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
The reductions specifically target the “indirect” overhead costs of National Institutes of Health grantees, with Collins asserting that these changes “would be devastating, stopping vital biomedical research and leading to the loss of jobs.” In a statement, she expressed her strong opposition to the cuts and communicated this sentiment to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee for the lead position at the NIH’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to Collins, “He has promised that as soon as he is confirmed, he will re-examine this initiative that was implemented prior to his confirmation.”
Collins is anticipated to cast her vote this week in favor of Kennedy’s confirmation to lead HHS, and she will be instrumental in legislation set for next month aimed at funding the government for fiscal 2025.
During the announcement on Friday, the administration indicated it would limit the funding added to health research grants to cover overhead costs to just 15 percent. This change affects fees that typically increase grant costs by an average of 27 percent, with significant variations. Notably, large research institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Johns Hopkins have been known to receive indirect cost add-ons exceeding 60 percent of their grants.
Collins expressed concern for the universities in her home state of Maine, emphasizing that the NIH had previously agreed on these funding levels during negotiations with the institutions.
On Friday, the NIH director’s office released a statement indicating that the negotiated rates were higher than those received from private foundations funding research and that the agency was reducing these fees as part of a strategy to “carefully steward grant awards to ensure taxpayer dollars are used in ways that benefit the American people and improve their quality of life.” Dr. Matthew Memoli, a career staff member at the agency, is currently acting as the director, while Trump's choice for NIH leadership, Stanford health economist Jay Bhattacharya, awaits Senate confirmation.
The lawsuit initiated by 22 state attorneys general, all Democrats, argues that the NIH’s “unlawful action” will severely impact critical public health initiatives at universities and research institutions. The filing in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts states, “Without relief from NIH’s action, these institutions’ cutting-edge work to cure and treat human disease will grind to a halt.”
The reduced fee schedule was set to become effective on Monday. Erik Fatemi, a principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs and former Democratic staffer on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing healthcare spending, remarked, “This announcement dropped like a neutron bomb on research universities across the country.” He added, “It’s really hard to overstate the anxiety they’re feeling about what this will mean for their research capabilities.” Fatemi emphasized that the response from Republican members of Congress could be crucial, noting that NIH funding affects every state, including many Republican areas.
In addition to Collins, Alabama GOP Senator Katie Britt shared her intention to discuss the changes with Kennedy, asserting that “a smart, targeted approach is needed in order to not hinder life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions like those in Alabama.”
If the attorneys general's lawsuit is successful, it could increase pressure on Republican lawmakers since the suit only covers the plaintiffs, as noted during a Monday press conference.
Conservative budget hawks have long expressed a desire to curtail indirect research funding. In 2017, the Trump administration proposed capping the indirect research funding rate at 10 percent, prompting Congress to add language to a 2018 appropriations bill to prohibit such a move. This provision has been included in every appropriations bill since, including the 2024 bill Collins referred to, which remains in effect.
“NIH’s move is just simply illegal,” stated Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul during the Monday press conference.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
