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Erica Rodriguez, PhD @ericarodriguez.bsky.social · Aug 23

I have certainly lost a lot of hope in this process, but it is nice to see some people are still advocating for us. Thanks @jeremymberg.bsky.social

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Aug 23

I just sent this email to Director Bhattacharya and am sending him a hard copy by registered mail.

1/14

August 22, 2025

Dear Director Bhattacharya:

I write to you regarding your plans after the Supreme Court ruling yesterday. As you know, the Supreme Court did allow a stay on the required grant reinstatements based on a controversial jurisdictional issue but also found that the grant termination processes used were likely illegal.

I know you are deeply concerned about public trust in NIH. I hope that you understand that proceeding to fail to reinstate or to re-terminate grants that had been found to have been illegally terminated will not increase the public trust in NIH. This would also be substantially damaging to science.

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Aug 23

I am one of these faces.

I certainly do feel like my life has been turned upside down multiple times this year, but I will always love my #NIHMOSAIC family and I am so glad we have people like @jeremymberg.bsky.social fighting for us ❤️

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Aug 23

10/14

These are real early career scientists, many of whom have had their careers and lives turned upside down by arbitrary and capricious grant terminations. They received their K99/R00 awards through a highly competitive program with no set-aside funds. I show a dare I-say mosaic below with ~1/4 of the MOSAIC scholars to depict what is at risk.

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jul 30

The NIH can’t award ANY grants to outside researchers under new WH restriction, reports @wsj.com.

The pause came in the form of a footnote from OMB Director Vought, in a document that doles out federal funds to the NIH.

Prelude to rescissions, especially after his comments over the weekend?

Trump Administration Puts New Chokehold on Billions in Health-Research Funding

The National Institutes of Health can’t award grants to outside researchers under a new White House restriction.

www.wsj.com

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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · Jul 27

On Thursday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to grant them a stay on the Massachusetts vs Kennedy/ APHA vs NIH ruling. This decision will occur on the shadow docket, with no formal hearing.

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Erica Rodriguez, PhD @ericarodriguez.bsky.social · Jul 22

👇👇👇👇

Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · Jul 22

Jay Bhattacharya seemed genuinely surprised to learn that diversity applicants compete in the same payline with applicants to standard opportunities. So terminating these grants (when they outperformed their peers) is blatant discrimination.

Yet, we would not commit to correcting this

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Eliza Bliss-Moreau @eblissmoreau.bsky.social · Jul 8

Public comment on this new "no animal only studies" is open here:

www.fda.gov/news-events/...

It closes next Monday.

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DrGlitterbear @drglitterbear.bsky.social · Jul 8

The end of biomedical sciences has finally arrived: NIH announces end to funding for animal-only studies www.drugdiscoverytrends.com/nih-announce...

NIH announces end to funding for animal-only studies - Drug Discovery and Development

Drug Discovery and Development covers strategies and technologies related to pharmaceutical research and development and drug formulation.

www.drugdiscoverytrends.com

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jul 2

The full ruling explaining why NIH grant cuts are illegal came out today.

It's just as blistering as the judge's oral remarks. And it uncovers fresh details in DOGE's role orchestrating the cuts — and on the cuts at Columbia.

Here are my top highlights from the 103-page ruling. 🧵

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 17

After ruling the NIH grant cuts were illegal yesterday, Judge Young, a Reagan appointee on the bench since 1985, ended the hearing with a blistering 15-minute speech.

I've cleaned up my notes — here are his remarks in full. 🧵

Judge rules against NIH grant cuts — and calls them discriminatory

The decision means that the US biomedical agency has to restore funding to hundreds of research projects, but the government will likely appeal.

www.nature.com

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Isabel @isabelott.bsky.social · Jun 16

Sometimes you don’t realize the full burden you’ve been carrying –of being implicitly treated as a second-class citizen whose life isn’t worth preserving, of people working to fix health inequalities in this country being persecuted, of the crushing *silence* around it – until someone calls it out.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · Jun 16

MORE YOUNG: "It is palpably clear that these directives and the set of terminated grants here also are designed to frustrate, to stop, research that may bear on the health – we’re talking about health here, the health of Americans, of our LGBTQ community. That’s appalling."

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 16

An NIH staffer reacts to today's ruling:
"I'm looking forward to the day that we are so slammed with work trying to reinstate everything that we had to terminate illegally — I'll work 24/7 to make that happen if I can."

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 16

🚨 BREAKING: Nearly 4 months the NIH cut its first grants, a judge has ruled that the directives and process that led to cuts are arbitrary and capricious.

"The explanations are bereft of reasoning — virtually in their entirety... unsupported by [facts]."

Each of them are VOID and ILLEGAL, he says.

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ACLU @aclu.org · Jun 16

BREAKING: A federal judge reversed National Institutes of Health's terminations of hundreds of critical research grants that were canceled because of their alleged connection to disfavored topics, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity.

This is a major win for public health.

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Erica Rodriguez, PhD @ericarodriguez.bsky.social · Jun 16

On terminated DEI-related grants, including mine. We are taking a step in the right direction here.

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · Jun 16

After ruling, with anger in his voice, Judge Young:

"This represents racial discrimination. And discrimination against America's LGBTQ community. That's what this is. I would be blind not to call it out. My duty is to call it out. And I do so."

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Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · Jun 16

Judge Young says he expects that the government will quickly comply with his order in this case.

To clarify: he's vacating the grant terminations at issue. And wants the money to start flowing ASAP.

Of note: the universe of grants "at issue" in this case is in dispute and will be litigated further

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Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · Jun 16

⚖️ HUGE day today in the NIH terminations cases

There's a trial (of sorts) at 10a ET in Boston today for arguments that NIH unlawfully terminated 100s of grants.

It's a 3 hour hearing and I'll post periodic updates.

Of note: this is the 1st lawsuit filed against the Trump Admin to go to trial.

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eartha mae @endoeartha.bsky.social · May 29

Some of us MOSAIC scholars (myself included) still haven't even received our official grant termination... These games they're playing with us, & now, "you have the opportunity to write another grant instead of finishing the research work/writing the paper that will get you hired". Thin gruel indeed

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Erica Rodriguez, PhD @ericarodriguez.bsky.social · May 29

Especially since most of us probably don't meet the eligibility requirements for these K's anymore. 🫠 And also the fact that we may not even get awarded on these second applications..........

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · May 29

Glad to see this, but I have another idea...Hear me out here...

Why doesn't NIH just reinstate the effing awards since they are ongoing and already made it successfully through a competitive process?

Seems like this would actually be "efficient" (and also fair and just)...

Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · May 28

Could be huge. Especially for those terminated in the anti-DEI purge.

"...NIH will allow individuals whose mentored career development awards prematurely ended on or after January 1, 2025, to be eligible to apply for a new mentored career development award"

grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

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adelaide tovar @adel-aide.bsky.social · May 22

note that 7 out of 10 listed here are training mechanisms

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · May 20

⛔️ Big NIH update:

We just learned of 726 more NIH grants that were terminated sometime over the past 2 months.

A huge number of diversity supps, diversity F31s, and diversity training grants. See below ⤵️

View them here: grant-watch.us/nih-data.html

h/t to @noamross.net for processing them.

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Chrystal Starbird @drstarbird.bsky.social · May 22

Judge comments: “Are you meaning to tell me the NIH policy is now homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion?” 👀

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · May 22

Everything seems awful sometimes, but I've met the absolute best folks in the midst of all this chaos.

Case in point: a brilliant new colleague (who asked to remain anonymous) sketched one of Judge Young's more incredulous statements about NIH's anti-DEI policy today:

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Neil Lewis, Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social · May 17

My thought when, in the wake of mass grant cancellations, administrators said it's important that we continue applying for grants (including from the very agencies canceling them).

Tessa Hill @tessahill.bsky.social · May 16

There’s a real rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic vibe going on in academia right now.

a man in a tuxedo is playing a violin in front of a crowd

Alt: a man in a tuxedo is playing a violin in front of a crowd of people trying to evacuate the ship

media.tenor.com

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Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social · May 15

What’s at stake when scientific research funds are cut? Our own @ericarodriguez.bsky.social talks about the grant canceled for her work on social behaviors (with autism and schizophrenia ties) and the impact on her career.
@gothamist.com
tinyurl.com/yc34c64b

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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · May 13

"Women are PIs on 58% of the canceled grants, although they are PIs on only 34% of all active NSF grants.

Similarly, Blacks are PIs on 17% of the terminated grants, although they make only 4% of the total pool. Hispanic PIs and those with disabilities were twice as likely to lose a grant."

David Malakoff @davidmalakoff.bsky.social · May 13

Another scoop from Jeff Mervis (@policyhound.bsky.social): NSF's ~1400 grant terminations have disproportionately affected PIs from groups underrepresented in science: women, racial & ethnic minorities, & those with disabilities. 1/3
www.science.org/content/arti...

Trump officials take steps toward a radically different NSF

Efforts to shrink staff, budget, and focus have alarmed members of Congress

www.science.org

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Danielle Beckman @daniellebeckman.bsky.social · May 13

"Scientists might also be realizing that there’s little safety in silence."
#SpeakOut

www.science.org/content/arti...

Trump’s ‘fear factor’: Scientists go silent as funding cuts escalate

Many worry about retribution. But for others, speaking out is worth the risk

www.science.org

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Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · May 8

Judge Young:

A couple requests going forward:
- Please provide a list of grants actually affected (I HAVE THIS!!!)

- To HHS lawyer, "I understand gov't is against DEI. But this is about healthcare for all Americans. "Respectfully, I just don't know what [DEI] means" here. I need a definition.

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · May 8

A US judge to govt lawyers defending the NIH's grant terminations:

"I understand the administration is against DEI. Respectfully, I just don't know what you mean. This isn't a teasing question. There has to be some working definition.

This is research to advance healthcare for all our citizens."

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It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · May 3

All, if you've had your federally-funded research disrupted due to the admin's chaos, consider this funding opportunity from Robert Wood Johnson:

Rapid Response Research

Rapid Response Research awards are exclusively available to applicants who have already received federal funding... 🧪🧵

Rapid Response Research Awards | Evidence for Action

www.evidenceforaction.org

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