Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Cuts to National Science Foundation Research Funding

Judge blocks the Trump administration's National Science Foundation research funding cuts

BOSTON (AP) -- A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump 's administration from making drastic cuts to research funding provided by the National Science Foundation. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston struck down on Friday a policy change that could have stripped universities of tens of millions of dollars in research funding. The universities argued the move threatened critical work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other technology fields. Talwani said the change, announced by the NSF in May, was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law. An email Saturday to the NSF was not immediately returned. At issue are "indirect" costs, expenses such as building maintenance and computer systems that aren't linked directly to a specific project. Currently, the NSF determines each grant recipient's indirect costs individually and is supposed to cover actual expenses. The Trump administration has dismissed indirect expenses as "overhead" and capped them for future awards by the NSF to universities at 15 % of the funding for direct research costs. The University of California, one of the plaintiffs, estimated the change would cost it just under $100 million a year. Judges have blocked similar caps that the Trump administration placed on grants by the Energy Department and the National Institutes of Health.

Trump administration's National Science Foundation research funding cuts blocked by judge

A federal judge has blocked President Trump's administration from making drastic cuts to research funding provided by the National Science Foundation. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston struck down on Friday a policy change that could have stripped universities of tens of millions of dollars in research funding. The universities argued the move threatened critical work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other technology fields. Talwani said the change, announced by the NSF in May, was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law. An email by the Associated Press on Saturday to the NSF was not immediately returned. At issue are "indirect" costs, expenses such as building maintenance and computer systems that aren't linked directly to a specific project. Currently, the NSF determines each grant recipient's indirect costs individually and is supposed to cover actual expenses. The Trump administration has dismissed indirect expenses as "overhead" and capped them for future awards by the NSF to universities at 15 % of the funding for direct research costs. The University of California, one of the plaintiffs, estimated the change would cost it just under $100 million a year. Judges have blocked similar caps that the Trump administration placed on grants by the Energy Department and the National Institutes of Health. In a recent interview on "CBS Mornings Plus," Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors -- whose organization sued the Trump administration over federal funding cuts to Columbia University -- said examples of research that has been cut includes a research project that looks at discerning when AI is making fake videos or a project that examines when people start to believe lies that are repeatedly told. "We are losing all the critical research that helps us understand truth and fiction in our social media platforms, whether it's Facebook or X or any other platform," he said.

Judge blocks the Trump administration's National Science Foundation research funding cuts

BOSTON (AP) -- A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump 's administration from making drastic cuts to research funding provided by the National Science Foundation. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston struck down on Friday a policy change that could have stripped universities of tens of millions of dollars in research funding. The universities argued the move threatened critical work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other technology fields. Talwani said the change, announced by the NSF in May, was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law. An email Saturday to the NSF was not immediately returned. At issue are "indirect" costs, expenses such as building maintenance and computer systems that aren't linked directly to a specific project. Currently, the NSF determines each grant recipient's indirect costs individually and is supposed to cover actual expenses. The Trump administration has dismissed indirect expenses as "overhead" and capped them for future awards by the NSF to universities at 15 % of the funding for direct research costs. The University of California, one of the plaintiffs, estimated the change would cost it just under $100 million a year. Judges have blocked similar caps that the Trump administration placed on grants by the Energy Department and the National Institutes of Health.

Judge blocks Trump administration's science research funding cuts

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston struck down on Friday a policy change that could have stripped universities of tens of millions of dollars in research funding. The universities argued the move threatened critical work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other technology fields. Talwani said the change, announced by the NSF in May, was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law. An email Saturday to the NSF was not immediately returned. At issue are "indirect" costs, expenses such as building maintenance and computer systems that aren't linked directly to a specific project. Currently, the NSF determines each grant recipient's indirect costs individually and is supposed to cover actual expenses. The Trump administration has dismissed indirect expenses as "overhead" and capped them for future awards by the NSF to universities at 15 % of the funding for direct research costs. The University of California, one of the plaintiffs, estimated the change would cost it just under $100 million a year. Judges have blocked similar caps that the Trump administration placed on grants by the Energy Department and the National Institutes of Health.

Judge Blocks the Trump Administration's National Science Foundation Research Funding Cuts

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston struck down on Friday a policy change that could have stripped universities of tens of millions of dollars in research funding. The universities argued the move threatened critical work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other technology fields. Talwani said the change, announced by the NSF in May, was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law. An email Saturday to the NSF was not immediately returned. At issue are "indirect" costs, expenses such as building maintenance and computer systems that aren't linked directly to a specific project. Currently, the NSF determines each grant recipient's indirect costs individually and is supposed to cover actual expenses. The Trump administration has dismissed indirect expenses as "overhead" and capped them for future awards by the NSF to universities at 15 % of the funding for direct research costs. The University of California, one of the plaintiffs, estimated the change would cost it just under $100 million a year. Judges have blocked similar caps that the Trump administration placed on grants by the Energy Department and the National Institutes of Health. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Judge blocks the Trump administration's National Science Foundation research funding cuts

A United States federal judge has stopped the Donald Trump administration from cutting research funds. The National Science Foundation faced restrictions. Judge Indira Talwani blocked a policy change in Boston. Universities feared losing millions for research. Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity work was at risk. The NSF's move was arbitrary, the judge said. Indirect costs were the issue.A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump 's administration from making drastic cuts to research funding provided by the National Science Foundation. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston struck down on Friday a policy change that could have stripped universities of tens of millions of dollars in research funding. The universities argued the move threatened critical work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other technology fields. Talwani said the change, announced by the NSF in May, was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law. An email Saturday to the NSF was not immediately returned. At issue are "indirect" costs, expenses such as building maintenance and computer systems that aren't linked directly to a specific project. Currently, the NSF determines each grant recipient's indirect costs individually and is supposed to cover actual expenses. The Trump administration has dismissed indirect expenses as "overhead" and capped them for future awards by the NSF to universities at 15 % of the funding for direct research costs. The University of California, one of the plaintiffs, estimated the change would cost it just under $100 million a year. Judges have blocked similar caps that the Trump administration placed on grants by the Energy Department and the National Institutes of Health.