ST. PAUL 鈥� Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services for 鈥渦nlawfully cutting funds鈥� for medical and public health research.
Co-leading a coalition of 22 state attorneys general, Ellison filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.
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The NIH awarded $65 million to Minnesota institutions in 2025, including $37 million to the University of Minnesota and $29 million to Mayo Clinic, according to a Monday news release from Ellison鈥檚 office. The lawsuit challenges the funding cuts of medical and public health research at universities and research institutions nationwide, saying it violates the Administrative Procedure Act.
鈥淭he NIH funds critical research into fighting chronic and catastrophic disease in every corner of our country, in red states and blue,鈥� Ellison said. 鈥淚ts work has an impact on countless families across America and helps keep us healthy and extend our lives. Abruptly and arbitrarily slashing funding for the NIH isn鈥檛 only dangerous and cruel, it鈥檚 against the law.鈥�
The target of the Trump administration鈥檚 budget cuts is the indirect cost payments used to cover expenses like the facilitation of biomedical research, Ellison said in the release. Indirect cost reimbursements are determined on the individual needs of each university, negotiated with the federal government and formalized with an agreement. The news release said the Trump administration plans to discard these agreements.
An on Friday, Feb. 7, said the previous indirect cost rate averaged between 25%-27% over time. The new universal indirect cost rate of 15% takes effect Monday, Feb. 10.
The coalition is seeking a court order to prevent the Trump administration and the NIH from carrying out that action.
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