The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Tuesday, February 25, 2025
VOL. 73, ISSUE 18
est. 1954
Editorial: Proposed NIH funding cuts are a direct hit to UCR’s research initiatives RECEIVING $41 MILLION IN NIH FUNDING LAST YEAR, PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FUNDING CUTS THREATEN CRITICAL UCR RESEARCH PROJECTS. THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Just a few weeks into his administration, President Donald J. Trump issued an order to cap indirect funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants at 15 percent, resulting in a cut of billions of dollars in research funding for universities and research institutions. In response, California and 21 other states sued the federal government, arguing that this action would harm Americans who rely on medical research for new treatments and advancements in public health. The lawsuit claims that the order violates federal laws, including the 1946 Administrative Procedure Act and the 2018 Appropriations Act, which prohibits the NIH from making unilateral “deviations from negotiated rates” and requires federal agencies to adhere to specific procedural rules. Angele Kelley, a U.S. District Judge from Massachusetts, temporarily blocked the administration’s order, stating that it “is justified to preserve the status quo pending a hearing” and that the plaintiffs would experience “immediate and irreparable injury.” While the Trump administration is currently prohibited from freezing federal funding, NIH grants still cannot be disbursed, and universities are not allowed to schedule or hold meetings regarding their grants. Judge Kelley extended the temporary block on Feb. 21, 2025, until a final decision can be made on whether to issue an injunction, a court order requiring a party to cease an action, against the order.
COURTESY OF YOU’RE JUST MY TYPE
LA’s hidden heroes A TYPE 1 DIABETES SUPPLY AID COMBATS THE LOSSES FROM LA FIRES. GABRIELA GALVAN Assistant Features Editor
Overwhelmed by the roaring Los Angeles (LA) fires, residents were left with no choice but to evacuate from their homes and businesses. Many were forced to leave their residences and most beloved and essential possessions, lest they too get set ablaze. People lost their livelihoods, since they had to surrender their personal belongings and family pictures. . Of the most essential items lost within the blazing LA fires were medications and treatments. Reliant on these medications, individuals were burdened with the expense of replacing those medicines, paying for those medicines, safely admin-
► SEE NIH FUNDING CUTS PAGE 8
istering those medicines and storing those medicines amid the fires. This life-threatening experience left many with type 1 diabetes without the vital medicine that they needed during a vulnerable crisis. Combating the destruction of the fires were various organized volunteer groups looking to aid in the loss of medication and supplies for type 1 diabetes. Of those volunteers was Nour Sourakli, a University of California, Riverside fourth-year student studying political science. As a type 1 diabetic since the age of seven, Nour’s first hand experience with the condition and its daily demands, while also having lived in the LA area.. ► SEE HIDDEN HEROES PAGE 14
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