Sixteen States Take Legal Action Against NSF for Ending DEI Support
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times
Sixteen states are suing the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the agency’s recent actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accused NSF of jeopardizing “America’s longstanding global leadership in STEM.”
“First, NSF announced that it would no longer abide by Congress’s longstanding policy to promote a robust STEM workforce that draws in underrepresented populations,” the states said in the May 28 filing.
On April 18, NSF announced updated priorities for its funding programs. It clarified that efforts aimed at broadening STEM participation “should not preference some groups at the expense of others, or directly/indirectly exclude individuals or groups.”
“Research projects with more narrow impact limited to subgroups of people based on protected class or characteristics do not effectuate NSF priorities,” it said, noting that projects relying on “DEI frameworks or advocacy do not effectuate NSF priorities.”
According to the complaint, on the same day that NSF published its updated priorities, the agency started issuing termination notices for several projects, many of which are in the plaintiffs’ states.
Affected projects include those seeking to “increase STEM participation by women, minorities, and people with disabilities; that study misinformation; and that address environmental justice,” according to the filing.
The second NSF policy challenged in the lawsuit is the agency’s May 2 announcement that it would cap indirect costs on research projects at 15 percent. Such costs include expenses related to lab space, facility operations, and security for sensitive research.
This rate cap is “far below the rates” that higher education institutions have negotiated with the federal government, according to the complaint.
In a May 28 statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James, who co-led the lawsuit, said the “administration’s attacks on basic science and essential efforts to ensure diversity in STEM” will weaken the economy and national security.
“Putting politics over science will only set our country back, and I will continue to fight to protect critical scientific research and education,” James said.
According to her office, NSF’s April 18 directive has resulted in the cancellation of funding for 18 programs worth $11 million within the City University of New York that specifically sought to “promote participation in STEM fields by women, minorities, and people with disabilities.”
The lawsuit asked the court to issue an order declaring the NSF’s new policies illegal and blocking their implementation.
The Epoch Times reached out to the NSF for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Terminating DEI Grants
The NSF is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering fields by issuing research grants. Its investments make up about 25 percent of the federal support received by U.S. colleges and universities for basic research.
NSF has been under the scanner of Republicans over its DEI policies. In February, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released a database of more than 3,400 NSF grants issued under the Biden administration worth more than $2.05 billion, according to a Feb. 11 statement from the lawmaker’s office.
The funding was used for pushing “neo-Marxist class warfare propaganda” or “questionable projects” promoting DEI, it reads.
One of the awards was a $401,744 grant issued to San José State University in 2022 to train students and teachers to be “climate justice action researchers and change agents.” A $1 million grant given to Northwestern University in 2023 sought to reimagine STEM education through the framework of “racial equity.”
“DEI initiatives have poisoned research efforts, eroded confidence in the scientific community, and fueled division among Americans,” Cruz said at the time.
Under the Trump administration, NSF has undergone a radical change.
The agency’s updated priorities now state, “Awards that are not aligned with program goals or agency priorities have been terminated, including but not limited to those on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), environmental justice, and misinformation/disinformation.”
According to a May 21 update, NSF has terminated more than 1,750 research grants worth more than $1.36 billion. Affected institutions include Harvard University, Cornell University, Purdue University, the University of Iowa, Columbia University, and Vanderbilt University.
“NSF continues to examine awards to ensure they align to agency priorities,” the agency said.