Sixteen states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, asking a federal court to block cuts in programs and funding for the National Science Foundation that they argue are critical to maintaining the United States’ position as a global leader in science, technology, engineering and math.
The states sought the court order on grounds that the foundation’s actions violated the law and would cause immediate and irreparable harm to the states involved in the lawsuit.
The foundation last month began ending projects that were focused on increasing the participation of women, minorities and people with disabilities in STEM fields, and this month, it said it would cap indirect research costs, like laboratory space and equipment, at 15 percent of granted funds, according to the lawsuit.
The states said in court papers that the cuts were “in complete derogation of the policies and priorities set by Congress.”
More than 1,700 research grants at the N.S.F. had been canceled as of Wednesday, according to a list published by the foundation, which amounts to $1.4 billion worth of cuts.
“This administration’s attacks on basic science and essential efforts to ensure diversity in STEM will weaken our economy and our national security,” said Attorney General Letitia James of New York, who is leading the legal challenge filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan.
“Putting politics over science will only set our country back,” Ms. James said.
A spokeswoman for the National Science Foundation declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The federal government has worked to broaden participation of women and minorities in science and technology since at least 1980, upon direction from Congress. According to the lawsuit, that directive has been substantively amended only to also explicitly include people with disabilities.
In court papers, the coalition of states said the foundation’s directive to cap indirect costs at 15 percent for all N.S.F. research projects awarded to universities would be devastating. The State University of New York, for instance, would lose $18 million, the lawsuit says.
Established in 1950, the N.S.F. funds much of the scientific research in the United States. In fiscal year 2024, the agency had a $9 billion budget. The Trump administration’s draft budget, published earlier this month, proposed slashing those funds by 55.8 percent.
The lawsuit comes amid a series of changes at the foundation as it tries to align its policies with those of the Trump administration, including issuing an updated statement of priorities to exclude the funding of activities supporting diversity, equity and inclusion.
Days after the award terminations began, the director of the N.S.F., Sethuraman Panchanathan, announced his resignation.
In addition to New York, the other states joining in the lawsuit were California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Washington.
Benjamin Weiser is a Times reporter covering the federal courts and U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, and the justice system more broadly.
Katrina Miller is a science reporter for The Times based in Chicago. She earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago.
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