ST. LOUIS – Billions of dollars for medical research remain up in the air for institutions like Washington University.
This week, a judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to cut billions of dollars in funding for medical research through the National Institutes of Health—which could have a huge impact on local institutions like WashU or the University of Missouri.
The potential cuts stem from a new rule that indirect research costs cannot account for higher than 15% of the overall costs for any research project funded by the NIH. According to a memo from the agency, right now, indirect costs for such projects average around 27% to 28%.
In the case of WashU, tens of millions of dollars for research into things like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases are now up in the air. The university responded this week, saying they are monitoring the situation.
Federal Judge Angel Kelley, a former Biden nominee, blocked the funding cap after 22 states sued over the new policy. The NIH projects the change could save taxpayers around $4 billion annually.
But critics argue the research is too important to cut.
Republican U.S. Senator Josh Hawley tells FOX 2 he believes the changes are temporary and that WashU will ultimately receive funding for their critical research projects.
A hearing for the proposal is scheduled for Feb. 21.