A group of Democratic attorneys general on Friday sued the Trump administration over its cancellation of millions of dollars in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants that were used for medical research.

The NIH began cancelling the grants in March, which they claimed were spent on liberal projects like studies on transgender healthcare, vaccine hesitancy, and Diversity research, arguing the grants no longer aligned with the agency's priorities under a new administration. It also suspended its grant approval process.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the group of 16 attorneys general questioned the new administration's order, stating the decision was “abrupt, unjustified, and illegal," per The Hill.

“Massachusetts is the medical research capital of the country," Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said in a statement. "Not only do our public research institutions rely on NIH funding for their groundbreaking research, job creation and academic competitiveness, but our residents depend on these studies to propel lifesaving medical advancements. I won’t allow the Trump Administration to take unlawful actions that play politics with our public health.”   

The lawsuit also contends that the administration's actions are harming research facilities who are awaiting funding to conduct studies on things like new treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease. 

The lawsuit, which targets the NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services, is led by Campbell, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown.

The attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, are also part of the lawsuit.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.