The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to slash nearly $800m in research grants, including funding tied to breast cancer, HIV prevention, suicide, and other major health issues.
In a narrow 5-4 ruling on Thursday, the justices lifted a lower court order that had blocked the cuts, giving the administration the green light to move forward while lawsuits from researchers and 16 states continue.
The funding cuts, imposed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are part of President Donald Trump’s broader push to dismantle federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and redirect government spending. The NIH had instructed staff to end grants tied to “gender ideology,” COVID-19, and vaccine hesitancy — calling them “off-mission” studies.
US District Judge William Young, who originally blocked the cuts, described the administration’s actions as “arbitrary and capricious” and even pointed to “palpable racial discrimination” behind the decisions. But the Supreme Court sided with the White House, noting that the disputes belong in the Court of Federal Claims, which handles money-related cases against the government.
This latest ruling builds on earlier wins for Trump in his DEI crackdown. In April, the high court also allowed his administration to push ahead with millions in cuts to teacher training grants. With a 6-3 conservative majority, the Supreme Court has consistently backed Trump’s agenda since his return to office in January.
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