Attorney General Ellison applauds court ruling blocking Trump Administration from illegally cutting funds for medical and public health research

Court sides with states and issues preliminary injunction, calling out the Trump Administration for an “appalling” pattern of discrimination against vulnerable communities

June 16, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Ellison issued the following statement after a federal judge yesterday set aside the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate hundreds of crucial biomedical research grants, declaring the move “illegal” and “void” and specifically condemning “clear” evidence of discrimination against the LGBTQ community and racial minorities. The judge sided with a coalition of 16 attorneys general who are suing the Trump Administration over its unlawful attempt to disrupt grant funding issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

“Congress, acting on behalf of the American people, passed legislation creating the National Institutes of Health for the purpose of conducting and funding life-saving medical research. Donald Trump cannot just ignore that law and shut down that research because he personally dislikes it. I am pleased that a court agrees with me and has blocked Trump’s attempts to cancel millions of dollars of public health research funding,” said Attorney General Ellison. “Time and time again, judges appointed by Republican and Democratic presidents have found that Donald Trump exceeded the authority granted to him by the Constitution and acted outside the law. This pattern of behavior is disturbing, and I will continue holding Trump and his cronies accountable when they break the law and harm the people of Minnesota.”

The lawsuit, filed on April 4, alleged that NIH had terminated large swaths of already-issued grants for projects that are currently underway based on the projects’ perceived connection to “DEI,” “transgender issues,” “vaccine hesitancy,” and other topics disfavored by the current Administration. In boilerplate letters issued to the grants’ recipients, NIH claimed that each cancelled project “no longer effectuates agency priorities.” Siding with the states, yesterday Judge William G. Young, a Reagan appointee, denounced these actions, stating that he had “never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable” in his 40 years on the bench, and that he would “be blind not to call it out.”

This court ruling halted the cancellation of millions of dollars that have already been awarded to address important public health needs and will allow funding for life-saving medical research to continue. The coalition will be filing a proposed order with the court in the coming days.