Sixteen states led by New York have filed suit against the Trump administration, seeking to stop $1.4 billion in cuts to National Science Foundation (NSF) programs that support STEM diversity and research funding.
Benjamin Weiser and Katrina Miller report for The New York Times.
In short:
- The lawsuit argues that abrupt NSF budget cuts violate congressional mandates and will harm universities and diversity initiatives in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
- More than 1,700 research grants have already been canceled, and a new 15 percent cap on indirect costs for universities could gut support for labs and infrastructure.
- The NSF is also moving to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, prompting its director’s recent resignation.
Key quote:
“Putting politics over science will only set our country back.”
— Letitia James, attorney general of New York
Why this matters:
Since its founding in 1950, the NSF has helped fund American research in fields ranging from climate science to quantum computing. Budget cuts of this magnitude — more than half the NSF’s funding — could stall or kill thousands of research projects across the country, many of them at public universities that rely heavily on federal support. Diversity-focused grants that help close longstanding gaps in STEM participation for women, people of color, and people with disabilities are also on the chopping block, despite bipartisan congressional support stretching back four decades. Pulling funding for lab space and equipment further strains institutions and could lead to a cascade of canceled experiments, halted graduate training, and even shuttered programs. Researchers warn that these cuts not only jeopardize basic science but also weaken U.S. competitiveness and innovation. It risks hollowing out the country’s future workforce in tech and science, widening disparities, and undermining evidence-based policymaking.
Read more: NSF grant funding falls by half as Trump administration slashes science budgets
