SC allows Trump administration US$783 million research cut

The Trump administration can slash hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of research funding in its push to cut federal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Supreme Court (SC) decided on Thursday 21 August, reports Lindsay Whitehurst for AP News.

The split court lifted a judge’s order blocking US$783 million worth of cuts made by the National Institutes of Health to align with Republican President Donald Trump’s priorities. The high court did keep the Trump administration’s anti-DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) directive blocked for future funding with a key vote from Justice Amy Coney Barrett, however.

The decision marks the latest Supreme Court win for Trump and allows the administration to forge ahead with cancelling hundreds of grants while the lawsuit continues to unfold. The plaintiffs say the decision is a “significant setback for public health”, but keeping the directive blocked means the administration can’t use it to cut more studies.
Full report on the AP News site