Trump administration agrees to review stalled and cut NIH grants tied to DEI
WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump administration on Monday, December 29, finalized a settlement requiring the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to reevaluate thousands of grant applications that had been frozen or reduced amid a broader review of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) related funding.
The agreement resolves part of a lawsuit brought by labor unions and Democratic state attorneys general, who challenged the administration’s earlier decision to halt or rescind hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding they said was unlawfully targeted.
The settlement marks a procedural reset in the administration’s effort to scrutinize federal grants linked to DEI, LGBTQ+ issues, and gender identity research.
Standard process restored
Under the agreement, the NIH will no longer operate under the specific directives that flagged certain grants based on subject matter tied to DEI or identity-based research.
Instead, the agency has agreed to review stalled, denied, or frozen applications using its standard evaluation process. The settlement sets firm deadlines for completing those reviews, requiring decisions to be made under existing scientific and administrative criteria.
The agreement does not require the NIH to approve or fund any specific proposal. It only mandates that applications be considered through regular procedural channels rather than categorical exclusions.
Arbitrary and destructive freeze
Several researchers named in the lawsuit said the settlement restores a pathway that had been abruptly closed.
Nikki Maphis, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of New Mexico who studies neurodegenerative aging, said the deal allows her application to move forward after what she described as an unjustified delay.
"This agreement allows my grant application, and many others, to move forward for review after an arbitrary and destructive freeze," Maphis said in a statement.
"I look forward to having my funding proposal evaluated fairly so that I can continue contributing to urgent and unmet public health needs," she added.
Legal battles continue
The settlement follows a complicated series of court rulings. A federal judge in Boston previously ruled that the NIH grant terminations violated federal law, a decision later partially narrowed by the US Supreme Court.
The high court directed monetary claims to be handled by the US Court of Federal Claims but declined to suspend the lower court’s determination that the administration’s anti-DEI directives violated the Administrative Procedure Act.
The Trump administration is appealing that ruling, with oral arguments scheduled before the First Circuit Court of Appeals on January 6.
The agreement also addresses timing concerns tied to the federal budget cycle. It explicitly states that the end of fiscal year 2025 will not prevent the NIH from reviewing or awarding funds tied to the affected applications.
