The Trump administration cut $12.6 million in research funding for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, according to a lawsuit filed by Wisconsin and 15 other states last week.
The cuts have already terminated four research grants since March 21, including projects with potentially groundbreaking implications for public and mental health care, according to the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul and 15 other state attorneys on April 4.
Among the canceled projects were National Institutes of Health-funded (NIH) studies on coronavirus vaccine development and virus replication — efforts described as being on track to “deliver breakthroughs in vaccine efficacy and durability,” according to a declaration included in the lawsuit.
Other terminated research included initiatives focused on addressing mental health disparities among transgender and nonbinary youth, which could have offered critical insight into the kinds of social support most beneficial to individuals and communities in crisis.
A major project examining the impact of social media on adolescent health and brain development — the largest endeavor of its kind — was also cut. UW-Madison officials said the study had potential to influence pediatric care and public policy by providing data to guide physicians and lawmakers.
“The breakdown in NIH processes is significantly affecting research, institutional operations and planning,” said Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, vice chancellor for research at UW-Madison, in the declaration. “Terminations and delays with no explanation or remedy are undermining confidence in the system. These harms are ongoing, and in many instances, irreparable.”
The effects of the cuts are already rippling beyond the lab. Graduate school admissions have decreased by 25% due to the instability in research funding, according to Grejner-Brzezinska’s declaration.
The loss of funding is part of the Trump administration’s nationwide anti-diversity rollback targeting critical biomedical research. Fields hit hardest include those focusing on LGBTQ+ health, HIV and vaccine development.
Last week, a federal judge permanently blocked the Trump administration from limiting NIH funding, ruling that the grant terminations would cause “serious harm” to essential medical research. The ruling marks a major win for the 16 states challenging the cuts, though it also sets the stage for a likely federal appeal.
“Taking a meat cleaver to this funding is simply wrong, shortsighted and will cause harm to people across the state of Wisconsin and the country,” UW System President Jay Rothman said last month. “Our university research lab should be a hub of activity…to provide lifesaving research that families can count upon.”
A UW-Madison spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the university plans to support affected researchers and students after the loss of funding.
Ella Hanley is the college news editor for The Daily Cardinal and former associate news editor. She is a fourth-year journalism and criminal justice student and has written breaking, city, state and campus news. Follow her on Twitter at @ellamhanley.
