Public Health

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, et al., v. National Institutes of Health, et al.; American Association of Medical Colleges, et al., v. Department of Health and Human Services, et al.; Association of American Universities, et al., v. National Institutes of Health, et al. (Filed: 6/16/25) 
On February 7, 2025, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a notice that NIH grant recipients will be subject to a 15% indirect cost rate in lieu of a separately negotiated rate for indirect costs in every grant. This action would have resulted in at least a $6.5 billion dollar loss of previously committed funding to support critical research activities. Several lawsuits were filed challenging the new policy, separately led by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the American Association of Medical Colleges, and the Association of American Universities. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking the policy from taking effect. The federal government appealed the decision, and the cases are now moving through the appeals process.

ACP has policy highlighting the importance of adequate financial support for medical research to the American public and opposes changes that adversely affect the continuity of research efforts. In this brief, the interested parties argue that NIH funding is critical to the advancement of medical care and for the development of clinical practice protocols and guidelines. They further argue that the recent changes will set back the advancement of medical care. This brief was filed in three separate appeals.

See additional relevant ACP policy in the Public Health Infrastructure and Funding section.