MAJOR DOUCHE –
April 4, 2025 – A federal judge in Rhode Island froze a Trump administration plan to cut more than $11 billion in public health grants to state and local health departments that Congress allocated during the pandemic. States have also sued to block caps on NIH grants covering overhead at universities and medical research centers. A judge also granted a temporary freeze in that case.
Why it matters: The Health and Human Services Department said the move was on the grounds that the pandemic was over. But it cast doubt on states’ ability to contain infectious diseases, ensure access to vaccines and continue substance use disorder programs, among other efforts.
