Trump officials say they will obey a judge and not immediately slash research grants

Federal officials swore today they have not yet carried out billions of dollars in threatened cuts for biomedical research and that they won't slice the funds until at least after a Boston judge decides at least one of the lawsuits filed over the cuts announced on Friday.

The declaration by lawyers at the Justice Department and by the National Institutes of Health official who oversees NIH grants was in response to a temporary restraining order barring any fund slicing issued by a Boston federal judge on Monday in a lawsuit brought by Boston teaching hospitals and other hospitals, medical schools and pharmacy groups across the country.

In issuing the temporary restraining order in that case - and the others - US District Court Judge Angel Kelley gave the government 48 hours to provide proof it was still paying out for "indirect costs," which pay for the lab space, equipment and personnel that provide overall support for grant-winning researchers - including in contracts already agreed to by NIH.

In some cases, this can amount to more than 60% of the cost of specific grants, but the government said it was immediately cutting the rate to 15% in all cases. In Massachusetts alone, that could mean the loss of $1 billion in money state research facilities had been counting on, the state says.

In a status report, the Justice Department wrote:

Defendants have not yet implemented or enforced the Rate Change Notice. Dr. Lauer's declaration explains that Defendants will not implement or enforce the Rate Change Notice until further order is issued by this Court. Dr. Lauer also confirms that NIH has instructed all HHS components responsible for disbursement, including the Program Support Center, which manages the disbursement of NIH grant award funding, not to implement the Rate Change Notice. As a result, the regular disbursement and obligation of federal financial assistance funds will continue as required under the TRO, again pending further order of this Court.

Dr. Michael Lauer, who has overseen NIH's grant programs since 2015, stated:

I confirm that NIH has not implemented or enforced the indirect cost rate described in the Guide Notice and that the agency will not do so with respect to grantees pending further instructions from the court. I also confirm that the NIH has ensured the regular disbursement and obligation of federal financial assistance and reporting requirements and instructed all components responsible for disbursements not to implement the rate change.

In addition to the hospitals, Massachusetts and 21 other states also sued over the sudden change, as did a group of universities that includes Tufts, Brandeis and MIT.