Special to the Sun
Last week, Mayor Michelle Wu co-led a coalition of Mayors from across the United States in writing and filing an amicus brief in federal district court in Boston to stop the Trump Administration’s drastic and illegal cuts to federal research funding and immediate job losses in cities nationwide. Over 40 mayors, cities, and counties from across the country joined the brief. These cities are home to universities and hospitals that employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in cutting edge medical and scientific research, and the federally-funded research in these communities has made the United States the global leader in scientific discovery. The brief seeks a temporary restraining order against the Trump Administration, alongside the research universities, medical schools, hospitals, and 22 states that are plaintiffs in the three cases filed last week in federal district court.
“For decades, Congress has made a clear choice to use federally-funded research to invest in cities, build a broadly-distributed infrastructure for scientific discovery, create jobs, and drive economic growth in communities across the United States,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We join with cities across the country – in red states, purple states, and blue states – to stop this illegal action that will cause layoffs, lab closures, and undermine scientific progress in American cities. I thank Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell for her leadership on behalf of the research institutions of Boston.”
This amicus brief is in response to the abrupt February 7, 2025 announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of an immediate reduction in funding for scientific and medical research institutions across the country. Under the NIH’s new policy, which temporarily went into effect on Monday, February 10, payments for indirect costs reimbursed to research universities would be capped at 15%, down from 30-70%. The brief makes clear that NIH funding cuts would devastate research institutions in cities across the county, cause job losses, create severe economic disruption, and undermine a critical pillar of strength and civic pride in cities across the United States. The cuts would also undermine critical medical and scientific research that residents are counting on, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, and jeopardize the cities’ and country’s position of global leadership on scientific advancement.
“The Gainesville community depends on this highly efficient, dependable investment of our tax dollars back into our city’s innovation economy,” said Harvey L. Ward, Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida. “I’m glad to join other mayors in highlighting the vital role NIH funding plays in the lives of everyday hardworking American families.”
“The breadth and diversity of this coalition highlights the devastating and widespread impact of these NIH funding changes, from Alzheimer’s research to cancer clinical trials,” said Jill Habig, Founder and CEO of Public Rights Project. “We’re proud to partner with mayors, cities, and counties in opposing this threat to critical federal funding and the health and vitality of our communities.”
On Monday, February 10th, twenty two states and associations of medical schools, hospitals, and universities, filed three related cases, and secured a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump Administration from slashing the reimbursement rates. That initial order will be revisited this week in a hearing scheduled for Friday, February 21.
The Public Rights Project served as amici counsel. The full list of mayors, cities and counties who joined the brief is below.
Local Governments and Mayors
• City of Boston, Massachusetts
• City of Cleveland, Ohio
• Harvey L. Ward, Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida
• Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
• Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, City of Salt Lake City, Utah
• City of Alameda, California
• City of Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
• City of Baltimore, Maryland
• Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Mayor, City of Burlington, Vermont
• Township of Canton, Michigan
• Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• City of Chicago, Illinois
• Sandra Welch, Mayor, City of Coconut Creek, Florida
• City of Columbus, Ohio
• City of Easthampton, Massachusetts
• Daniel Biss, Mayor, City of Evanston, Illinois
• City of Fairfax, Virginia
• Harris County, Texas
• Ravinder S. Bhalla, Mayor, City of Hoboken, New Jersey
• Quinton Lucas, Mayor, Kansas City, Missouri
• Indya Kincannon, Mayor, City of Knoxville, Tennessee
• City of Madison, Wisconsin
• Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor, City of Millcreek, Utah
• Anissa Welch, Mayor, City of Milton, Wisconsin
• Montgomery County, Maryland
• City of New Haven, Connecticut
• Dontae Payne, Mayor, City of Olympia, Washington
• Adrian O. Mapp, Mayor, City of Plainfield, New Jersey
• Sue Noack, Mayor, City of Pleasant Hill, California
• City of Pittsburgh and Ed Gainey, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• City of Providence, Rhode Island
• John Clark, Mayor, Town of Ridgway, Colorado
• City of Rochester, New York
• City of Sacramento, California
• City and County of San Francisco, California
• City of Santa Monica, California
• Constantine H. Kutteh, Mayor, City of Statesville, North Carolina
• Lisa Brown, Mayor, City of Spokane, Washington
• Tishaura O. Jones, Mayor, City of St. Louis, Missouri
• City of St. Paul, Minnesota
• Dennis R. McBride, Mayor, City of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin