Latest news with #NFS-funded
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois AG joins lawsuit to stop federal cuts to science, research programs
CHICAGO, Ill. (WCIA) — The Attorneys General of 16 states, including Illinois, are taking the Trump administration to court in an attempt to stop his cuts to National Science Foundation (NSF) programs. In the lawsuit he and the coalition filed, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is seeking a court order to block the implementation of the NSF's new directives to eliminate programs addressing diversity in STEM. In addition, the changes would eliminate funding and programs that Raoul said, 'help maintain the United States' position as a global leader in STEM.' 'The funds the Trump administration is attempting to cut are vital to addressing the nation's biggest challenges,' Raoul said. 'The impact of these illegal cuts would devastate scientific research at universities in Illinois and across the country and would stall efforts to grow the STEM workforce.' Illinois AG files lawsuits over immigration conditions placed on federal funding Raoul provided background, saying that on April 18, the NFS began terminating grants that funded projects focused on increasing the participation of women, minorities and people with disabilities in STEM fields. On May 2, the NFS announced that it would also cap 'indirect costs' of all NFS-funded research projects, such as laboratory space, equipment and facility services, at 15%. This, Raoul and his counterparts said, would slash millions of dollars from scientific research across the country and jeopardize national security, the economy and public health. The 15% cap would limit scientific research at universities across the country, they said, leading to the abandonment of critical projects and the end of 'essential research.' They also argue that these directives violate federal law. 'The NSF's directives violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution by unlawfully changing NSF policy and ignoring Congress' direction for how the NSF should function,' Raoul wrote in a news release. 'The lawsuit seeks a court order ruling the NSF's new directives are illegal and an injunction blocking their implementation.' Illinois AG wins court order supporting libraries, museums, minority-owned businesses Raoul also noted that per Congress, a 'core strategy' of the NFS's work must be to increase the participation of people who have historically been left out of STEM occupations, and that the strategy to increase participation STEM careers has worked. 'Between 1995 and 2017, the number of women in science and engineering occupations, or with science or engineering degrees, has doubled,' Raoul wrote. 'During that same time, people of color went from 15% to 35% of science and engineering job or degree holders. However, since the NSF's April 18 directive to terminate programs seeking to increase diversity in STEM, dozens of projects have been canceled.' Raoul has been involved in several multi-state lawsuits in the past to object to Trump's policies, including funding cuts. A lawsuit filed in February resulted in court orders that stopped attempts to cap indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Energy (DOE) grants. The latest lawsuit was filed by Raoul and the Attorneys General of the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
23-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
No federal grants spells bad news for the Mass. local food ecosystem
Two major programs in Massachusetts, Northeast Food for Schools (NFS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, have been notified by the US Department of Agriculture that they will not be receiving federal funds this year. Last year, the programs provided about Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Harrison Bardwell of Bardwell Farms in Hatfield told the crowd he estimates he'll lose $200,000 in revenue over the next year, or up to 30 percent of his sales, as a result of the funding cuts. Advertisement Some of his produce would have ended up in schools across Massachusetts. Jason Yeagle, the nutrition director at Fitchburg's Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, known as Monty Tech, has used NFS funds to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables. 'It was a bonus that I could source higher-quality, more-local produce,' says Yeagle about the NFS funds. Advertisement The kids at Monty Tech are not going without vegetables because of the cuts, but the produce they eat will be less diverse and from farther away. If teaching kids to eat healthier is a goal for our schools, then providing lower-quality produce is not the way to get there, Yeagle says. Shon Rainford, who directs the Worcester Food Hub, says his organization distributed roughly $3 million of NFS-funded locally grown produce last year. This year, he says, 'we are going to be less busy,' and he's concerned about the effects on farmers and the people who rely on the Hub for affordable food. New England farms are small. Eating 'local' often means within the radius of a few towns, instead of Small farms are also more vulnerable to volatility. 'We do our planning in the winter. Everything has been ordered. A lot has been paid for,' says Bardwell. He worries about paying his employees, to whom he promised jobs and good wages, if he cannot find new markets for his produce. Making matters worse, the cuts in federal funding came just months after 'As a farmer, I want to support and feed the community. Especially those families in need, with young students that are going to school and can't afford a meal from home,' Bardwell said to the hundreds of fellow community members who convened at Hadley town hall. Advertisement Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, who also spoke at the protest forum, criticized the Trump administration for its shortsightedness. 'They have frozen critical funds. They have broken legal contracts. They're shutting down USDA offices that serve our communities,' he said. 'Farmers are the backbone of America. They are feeding the future, and in a very real sense, food security is national security.' Applause and the sound of cowbells filled every pause he took.
