The ACLU has sued the NIH over an alleged purge of research grants tied to DEI, gender identity, COVID-19, and other politically sensitive topics.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), alongside a coalition of public health organizations, unions, and researchers, has filed a sweeping federal lawsuit accusing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of unlawfully canceling research grants due to political and ideological pressure.
The lawsuit, filed on April 2 at the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, said the NIH terminated grants tied to hundreds of research projects on topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), racial disparities, COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, LGBTQ health, and international collaboration.
The suit targets the NIH and its new director, Jay Bhattacharya, along with the Department of Health and Human Services and its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The plaintiffs, who include the American Public Health Association, the United Auto Workers academic workers’ union, and individual researchers from institutions like Harvard University, allege that NIH staff were directed to eliminate research on “disfavored topics and populations,” while no explanation on the scientific rationale or legal authority of the directive were provided.
The lawsuit accuses NIH of removing funding opportunities from its website, halting applications midstream, and canceling awards already in progress. In total, at least 678 projects and billions in taxpayer-funded research have been wiped out, including studies related to vaccine uptake, HIV prevention in the transgender-identifying population, and training grants to diversify the biomedical workforce, per the complaint.
The ACLU alleges that the termination of these research grants endangers vital medical breakthroughs essential for advancing the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of life-threatening diseases.
“Cancelling grants solely due to political ideology has severe public health consequences and violates the law,” Jessie Rossman, legal director at the ACLU of Massachusetts, said in a statement.
The cancelled grants also have a demonstrable economic impact, the plaintiffs allege.
“For example, more than 30 percent of NIH-funded studies are later cited in an application for a commercial patent, demonstrating the vital role that Project-Based Grants play in fostering innovation,” their complaint states.
