Liston Asks Attorney General Yost to Join 22 Other States in Suit to Rescue NIH Funding

This week, state Senator Beth Liston (D-Dublin) sent a letter to Attorney General Yost asking him to join the 22 other states and their Attorneys General to prevent the blockage of National Institute of Health (NIH) research payments to universities, medical centers, and other grant recipients.

“This money goes toward cancer research, to discover cures for rare diseases, to develop new ways of saving lives,” said Liston. “We cannot let these funds get cut and risk losing these life-changing innovations.”

Due to an order by the Presidential Administration, payments from the NIH to states for medical research projects were significantly cut. In response, 22 states came together to sue to get this money back in the hands of the researchers who rely on the funds. Attorney General Yost declined to add Ohio to this suit. 

In fiscal year 2023, Ohio received $1 billion in federal funds for medical research. The health sector is one of Ohio’s top industry employers. Any interruption in the payment of federal funds towards these life-changing and life-saving research projects could cause incredible harm to Ohioans’ health and economy.

Read the full letter here.