Judge Extends Temporary Block to Huge Cuts in National Institutes of Health Research Funding

TIME

A federal judge on Friday extended a temporary block of the Trump administration’s drastic cuts in medical research funding that many scientists say will endanger patients and delay new lifesaving discoveries.

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00:00The judge has essentially kicked the can down the road, but for now, she's blocked

00:08the Trump administration's unilateral reduction of the NIH indirect rates, capped at 15%.

00:17And she's going to decide whether to make it a permanent injunction.

00:21But whatever she decides, it's not going to be the end of the story.

00:27It's going to be appealed probably all the way up to the Supreme Court,

00:33because it's of enormous consequence to the United States and to the rule of law.

00:41The United States, through Congress, developed these close partnerships with

00:48universities around the country to build up their scientific enterprise.

00:54And they need indirect rates to be able to develop laboratories, young career scientists

01:04in training, and to do all of the things that keeps the computers humming and the lights on.

01:11I think the Trump administration and NIH don't really have a legal leg to stand on

01:19for many, many reasons.

01:21To begin with, it applies to contracts we've already signed with universities around the

01:29country. Congress itself understands why this is so important to American

01:37innovation and our economy, and have required the NIH to do these kind of individualized

01:46negotiations with universities for indirect rates.

01:51So it would be breaking a law that Congress has passed.

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