Judge William Young, a Ronald Reagan-nominated judge, accused the Trump administration of discrimination after it moved to cut National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants.
“I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable. I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this,” he said, as per Politico.
“I am hesitant to draw this conclusion — but I have an unflinching obligation to draw it — that this represents racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community,” the judge further stated. “That’s what this is. I would be blind not to call it out. My duty is to call it out.“
Young ordered the NIH to restore the grants as part of a lawsuit filed by several state attorneys general and health groups.
Health and Human Services Communications Director Andrew Nixon said in a statement obtained by Fox News that the department is “exploring all legal options, including filing an appeal and moving to stay the order.”
“HHS stands by its decision to end funding for research that prioritized ideological agendas over scientific rigor and meaningful outcomes for the American people,” Nixon said, adding that the department 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.”
NIH employees have criticized the Trump administration for cutting grants, which the employees said undermine the agency’s mission, “waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe.”
Under Bhattacharya’s leadership, the NIH has allegedly politicized research by “halting high-quality, peer reviewed grants and contracts,” the employees’ letter said,” arguing that the topics of “gender identity, sexual health, and the needs of intersex people in the U.S.” require research attention.
