GAO: Trump Broke Law With NIH Grant Cancellations

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Trump administration violated the 1974 Impoundment Control Act by ordering the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to cancel over 1,800 grants and reduce new awards, resulting in an $8 billion reduction in NIH obligations. These actions followed executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and were deemed an illegal impoundment of congressionally appropriated funds, as the administration neither spent the funds nor sought congressional rescission or provided required notification to Congress. The GAO's findings, while nonbinding, strengthen congressional and legal challenges against the administration's move, with courts already ruling that some grant terminations were discriminatory and illegal. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about the impact on critical public health research, including studies on cancer and other diseases. The administration has appealed adverse court decisions. The GAO report is expected to prompt further oversight and litigation.