NIH cuts could cost Louisiana millions
Louisiana universities could lose tens of millions of dollars in federal funding under a proposed slash in National Institutes of Health research funding President Donald Trump’s administration has put forward.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to slash “indirect cost” rates including on grants that are already approved. The ruling was issued late Friday afternoon and challenged in court Monday. The next hearing in the case is expected later this month.
If the cuts were allowed to go into effect, the impact to Louisiana would be “devastating,” said Robert Twilley, LSU’s vice president of research and economic development.
According to publicly available NIH data, Louisiana universities have active NIH grants worth about $300 million in research funding. About $60 million goes toward “indirect costs,” which are necessary to facilitate the actual research being conducted. Of that $300 million, about $211 million was awarded in fiscal year 2024.
The Trump administration has proposed reducing the indirect costs covered through NIH grants from as much as 53% down to 15% for Louisiana universities, meaning they would be scrambling to fill holes totaling tens of millions of dollars or be forced to reduce their research staffs.
“At LSU alone, the immediate loss amounts to $12 million,” LSU President William Tate said in a statement. “If 60% of the cuts impact personnel, Louisiana could lose hundreds of research-active faculty members, graduate assistantships and research administration jobs.”
“NIH funding drives that progress. America must lead. Louisiana must compete. Lives depend on it,” Tate continued.
The National Institutes of Health said the policy change regarding so-called “indirect costs” is intended to align how much the federal government spends on those items with how much private organizations allocate. Twilley said indirect costs pay for things such as infrastructure, environmental safety, waste disposal, libraries and graduate student support.
He suggested that if the concern is that money the federal government pays for indirect costs is being wasted, LSU could provide more information on the spending on each grant as a way to ensure more accountability.
The research universities conduct has an economic impact as well as an academic one. Federal research grants directly support hundreds of graduate assistants and other employees at universities. Tate estimates the economic impact of NIH funding to LSU is around $550 million. Fitts noted that Tulane’s economic impact to Louisiana is $5.2 billion.
If the NIH cuts were allowed to go into effect, Twilley predicts other federal agencies would follow, leading to even further reductions in higher education.
The proposed NIH cuts are not the only way Trump’s proposals could impact Louisiana universities. A $22 million project involving the LSU AgCenter has been paused while the administration reviews spending at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Also: I am continuing to monitor the local impact of the Trump administration’s policy changes on higher education. If you have information related to how his cuts, freezes, firings or anything else are impacting your work, please reach out by messaging me here or emailing me at phutchinson@lailluminator.com
Landry forced to turn over texts
A state judge ordered Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to produce text messages he sent to the chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors about a law professor who made comments critical of the governor to his class.
The order from 19th Judicial District Judge Tarvald Smith came Monday in the case of Ken Levy, who is suing the university after being pulled from teaching last month, allegedly for remarks he made to students on the first day of class. Attorney Jill Craft, who is representing Levy, has argued his comments are protected under the First Amendment and LSU faculty policy.
Levy testified Monday he believes one of his students reported his comments to Landry, who in turn notified the university administration, something he said Law Dean Alena Allen told him. Landry has since made several social media posts about Levy.
Levy’s comments in class were openly critical of Landry and Trump and were at times profane.
Seeking to make a direct connection, Craft requested Landry’s text messages with LSU board chair Scott Ballard. In the messages, Landry sent Ballard a screenshot of a Facebook post Levy made to solicit donations to cover the cost of his lawsuit.
“Please remember – this isn’t just about me,” Levy wrote in the Facebook post. “This is about you too. If LSU (and Gov. Landry) can get away with violating my rights, they can get away with violating your rights too. So to help me is to help everybody else. If I win, we all win; if I lose, we all lose.”
While Levy’s fundraising is not at issue in the case, it was among the first things Jimmy Faircloth, an attorney representing LSU in the lawsuit, brought up when he cross-examined Levy.
Faircloth asked Levy why he was soliciting donations from students. Levy responded that it was a public Facebook post seeking support from anybody, not specifically students. Levy’s post did not mention students, referencing support from “family and friends.”
At several points during Monday’s hearing, Faircloth objected to mentions of Landry, pointing out he is not a party to the case. His objections were mostly overruled.
While Smith ordered Levy returned from the classroom, the state’s 1st Circuit Court of Appeal blocked that ruling. Read more.
What I’m reading
Despite lofty promises, Louisiana’s private-school vouchers fall short By Patrick Wall | Times-Picayune
Louisiana Department of Health ends mass vaccinations, bans seasonal vaccine promotion By Emily Woodruff | Times-Picayune
Louisiana likely to spend over $93 million on four youth jails, prisons By Julie O’Donoghue | Louisiana Illuminator
Louisiana attorney general signs off on extraditing NY doctor in abortion pill case By Lorena O’Neil | Louisiana Illuminator
After meeting in secret, Jeff Landry's government efficiency group temporarily pauses its work By Tyler Bridges | Times-Picayune
New research designations
Four Louisiana universities will receive a new research designation under revamped Carnegie Classifications.
Previously, the American Council on Education, which doles out the designation, only categorized universities as “R1” or “R2,” meaning they are doctoral degree-granting institutions with either “very high” or “high” levels of research activity. In 2023, the organization announced it would begin conferring the title of “Research Colleges and Universities,” which can be awarded to schools that don’t confer doctoral degrees. Any school with at least $2.5 million in research expenditures annually will get this label.
In Louisiana, Xavier University of Louisiana, University of Louisiana Monroe, Southeastern Louisiana University and LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport will receive the new designation. In total, 218 colleges and universities received the new designation.
“A highlight of our work to modernize the Carnegie Classification is the new Research Colleges and Universities designation, which will shed light on institutions that have engaged in research but historically haven’t been recognized for it,” ACE president Ted Mitchell said. “Instead of limiting research designations to the select institutions that award PhDs, all types of colleges and universities will now be celebrated for their research contributions.
LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, which was previously classified as a “special focus” institution, is now classified as an R2 university. Louisiana’s other R2s include the University of New Orleans, Louisiana Tech and Southern University.
Louisiana’s R1 universities are LSU, Tulane and the University of Louisiana Lafayette.