1. United States
2. Ala.
3. Letter

Alabama should join the 22 states suing the Trump administration and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the 15% cuts to indirect grant costs. These cuts threaten vital medical research at institutions like the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The lawsuit argues the cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act by indiscriminately changing indirect cost reimbursements. UAB was in the top 1% of NIH-funded institutions in 2024, and its health schools ranked among the top 15 public universities for NIH funding in 2022. NIH grants in Alabama supported nearly 5,000 jobs and had an economic impact of $909 million in 2023 alone. The grants fuel clinical trials, data analytics, workforce development, and research across numerous medical fields. Cutting this funding will severely undermine Alabama's growing bioeconomy and competitive research capabilities. While other states are taking legal action to protect this crucial funding stream, Alabama's Republican Attorney General Steve Marshall has not joined the lawsuit. Signing on would demonstrate a commitment to safeguarding the state's research institutions, economic interests, and public health priorities. The temporary block on the cuts provides a window to join the lawsuit before the February 21st hearing. Inaction risks allowing these harmful cuts to move forward unchallenged.