In a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration’s push for sweeping budget cuts, a federal judge in Boston has hit pause on a controversial Defense Department policy that would have slashed indirect funding for university research programs.
At the heart of the legal storm: a newly introduced cap—just 15%—on reimbursements for indirect research costs. These are the behind-the-scenes expenses that keep labs humming: maintaining facilities, paying research staff, and securing high-end equipment. The Pentagon claimed it could save up to $900 million a year. But twelve top-tier universities, including MIT and Johns Hopkins, weren’t buying it.
The institutions, backed by three academic associations, sued. They called the move a violation of both established regulatory frameworks and explicit congressional mandates. And on Tuesday, they got a win—at least for now.
Judge Brian Murphy, appointed by President Biden, issued a temporary restraining order to freeze the cuts. He’s set a follow-up hearing for July 2, where a more permanent injunction will be on the table.
This move echoes similar legal roadblocks thrown in front of cost-cutting efforts by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, both of which also attempted to impose sharp limits on indirect research funding. Federal courts in Boston halted those policies too.
As the battle lines sharpen between budget hawks and America’s research giants, the courtroom becomes the latest front in the fight for the future of publicly funded science.
