Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander welcomed a unanimous ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit that blocks the Trump Administration from carrying out drastic and unlawful cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding — a critical victory for patients, researchers, and the rule of law. This ruling came after she and her colleagues filed a legal brief in the case challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful effort to cut indirect cost reimbursements for NIH-funded research. Congressman Chris Pappas is also signed onto this brief.

“This ruling is a win for science, for patients, and for the rule of law,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “Congress was clear: NIH research funding cannot be gutted by the whims of a President. These reckless cuts would have shut down labs, stalled clinical trials, and put lives at risk. I will never stop fighting to protect lifesaving medical research and to hold this Administration accountable when it breaks the law.”

The decision upholds a lower court ruling that found the Administration’s attempt to slash NIH grant funding violated federal law and explicit congressional directives. The proposed cuts would have destabilized medical and scientific research nationwide, threatening lifesaving studies in cancer, genetics, infectious disease, and other critical fields, while putting research institutions and jobs at risk across New Hampshire and the country.

Congresswoman Goodlander has been a strong advocate for protecting lifesaving medical research and defending Congress’s constitutional power of the purse. In February, she raised alarm and demanded answers from the Administration on its unilateral decision to slash funding for researchers and institutions nationwide. She also voiced her strong support for federal research in September, in the face of these unprecedented cuts.  

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