Depending on your perspective, New York State Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James is either the gift that keeps on giving or one of the biggest thorns in Trump’s side. Fourteen other state attorneys joined James and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in taking action against the Trump administration’s termination of NIH grants.
Only hours after the filing Friday, a federal judge in Massachusetts awarded a permanent injunction in favor of the coalition, ruling that the NIH must continue funding grants at previously agreed levels.
Prior to the judge’s swift decision, James released a statement calling out the Trump administration for putting “politics before public health.” NIH funding cuts include investments for improving long standing health disparities and improving equity in treatment. This included taking back grants already issued, delaying meetings and decisions on pending grant applications, and not issuing final recommendations.
“Millions of Americans depend on our nation’s research institutions for treatments and cures to the diseases that devastate families every day,” James said. “The decision to cut these funds is an attack on science, public health, and medical innovation – and I won’t stand for it.”
Even though she represents the interest of the people of New York, James said the entire nation deserved “better.”
“Not only do our public research institutions rely on NIH funding for their groundbreaking research, job creation and academic competitiveness, but our residents depend on these studies to propel lifesaving medical advancements,” Campbell said in a statement. “I won’t allow the Trump administration to take unlawful actions that play politics with our public health.”
Source: Black Women AGs Lead Charge Against Trump Admin’s Attack On Public Health
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