TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Friday that his office has secured a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that will restart the review of delayed medical and public health research grants issued by the National Institutes of Health.
The settlement resolves claims raised in a lawsuit filed in April by Platkin and a coalition of 16 attorneys general, who alleged the Trump administration unlawfully delayed the review of NIH grant applications, affecting billions of dollars in requested research funding.
“This news could not be more welcome, coming in the midst of a cold snap with significant levels of flu and other illnesses,” Platkin said. “This is a victory for public health, for our residents, and for our research universities, which were harmed by these unnecessary and unlawful funding delays.”
NIH grant applications typically undergo multiple rounds of review by scientific experts and agency officials. Earlier this year, the administration canceled scheduled meetings of NIH review panels, delayed future meetings and withheld final decisions on grant applications that had already been approved by review committees, according to the lawsuit.
The delays prevented public research institutions from moving forward with critical scientific and medical research and disrupted public health efforts in New Jersey, which is experiencing increased cases of influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, Platkin’s office said.
Under the settlement agreement, HHS has committed to resuming the standard review process for NIH grant applications on an agreed-upon timeline. The agreement also restricts NIH from applying previously issued directives that targeted certain research topics while reviewing new grant applications.
The settlement follows an earlier ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, which sided with the plaintiff states and set aside directives found to be unlawful. A hearing on the federal government’s appeal of that decision is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2026.
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin joined Platkin in reaching the settlement.
