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A federal judge on Monday ruled that the Trump administration acted unlawfully in canceling federal health grants tied to “gender ideology” and “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, ordered the government to restore the National Institutes of Health funding, calling the decision arbitrary. In February, the NIH terminated grants related to LGBTQ issues, gender identity, and DEI. Groups including the APHA, ACLU, and Ibis Reproductive Health sued to overturn the decision.
“The ideologically motivated directives to terminate grants alleged to constitute DEI, ‘gender ideology,’ or other forbidden topics were, in fact, arbitrary and capricious, and have now been ruled unlawful,” said Peter G. Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and a plaintiff in the case.
Georges Benjamin, executive director of the APHA, added: “We’re certainly very pleased with the judge’s decision, and actually the way he portrayed it as, you know, discrimination. I think that’s pure and simple, that the administration was trying to undermine the health and well-being of these populations.”
Based on past actions, Benjamin fears the Trump administration will attempt to bypass the decision. Indeed, the federal government may appeal or try to block Judge Young’s ruling.
“HHS stands by its decision to end funding for research that prioritized ideological agendas over scientific rigor and meaningful outcomes for the American people,” Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement. “Under the leadership of Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration, HHS is committed to ensuring that taxpayer dollars support programs rooted in evidence-based practices and gold standard science— not driven by divisive DEI mandates or gender ideology.”
