Federal Judge Orders Immediate Release of NIH and IRA Funds Amid Ongoing Trump Admin Defiance

DOGE (Department of Government EXTINCTION) TRACKER UPDATE

DOGE v. NIH

🔴UPDATE: February 10, 2025

In a decisive legal blow to the Trump administration, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) mandating the immediate release of billions in frozen federal funds—including critical biomedical research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and climate-related programs under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

This order comes after the administration ignored previous directives to release funding already approved and allocated, jeopardizing vital health research and climate initiatives. While the administration claims budget reviews necessitated the freeze, the judge ruled that the withholding of funds was likely unconstitutional and had already caused irreparable harm to public health and scientific progress.

The TRO requires immediate compliance, but given the administration’s past defiance, questions remain: Will they follow the law, or continue their sabotage of public institutions?

📌 Sources:

• AP News: Judge finds Trump administration hasn’t fully followed his order to unfreeze federal spending

• Politico: States accuse Trump administration of continuing to block federal climate funding

• AP News: Second federal judge orders temporary pause to Trump administration efforts to freeze funding

• CourtListener: Temporary Restraining Order Issued Against Trump Administration (Full Text)