PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes released the below statement in response to a federal judge in the District of Massachusetts granting her motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) just a few hours after she and a coalition of attorneys general sued the Trump Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for unlawfully cutting funds that support cutting-edge medical and public health research at universities and research institutions across the country.
In every case we have brought against the Trump administration so far, from birthright citizenship to this attempt to defund critical medical and public health research, we have blocked the President’s lawless actions. I am heartened by our successes in court as we continue to fight back against this attempted coup. Rest assured that if there is any evidence of the Trump administration undermining court orders or pursuing additional unconstitutional actions, we will continue to fight to protect Arizonans.
In Arizona, the University of Arizona had over $170 million in NIH funding in federal fiscal year 2024. ASU’s Tempe Campus was awarded over $65 million in NIH funding in federal fiscal year 2024. NAU had almost $14 million in NIH funding in that same year. All of them would see their funding reduced without this TRO. Private hospitals would also be impacted: Banner received $26 million, Mayo Clinic received $17 million, and St. Joseph’s received $10 million. They too would see their funding cut. The total impact to Arizona medical institutions would be well over $20 million. Last week, students at ASU gathered to protest these funding freezes and their severe consequences.
A copy of the court's decision is available here.
