Attorney General Josh Kaul files lawsuit against Trump’s efforts to defund state universities

MADISON, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Wednesday that Wisconsin has joined a coalition of several other attorney generals in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s attempt to significantly reduce funding for scientific research in the state.

A news release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) details that President Trump’s National Science Foundation (NSF) is targeting cutting-edge scientific research being conducted at University of Wisconsin-Madison and Milwaukee, respectively. The directives issued by the NSF would cost the schools millions of dollars.

Attorney General Kaul condemned the administration’s obstruction of scientific progress in a statement.

The Trump administration is wreaking havoc on progress in science, technology, engineering, and math—fields that are major engines for innovation and economic growth. These devastating and unlawful cuts should be enjoined.

The lawsuit attempts to block two NSF orders in particular: one that would leave Wisconsin universities financially unfit to pay for infrastructure essential to research, and another halted multiple projects that aimed to expand participation in underrepresented populations.

Attorney General Kaul was previously successful in having an injunction filed against the Trump Administration’s attempts to deconstruct the Department of Education.

Read the full news release here.