FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS STATEMENT
CONTACT: apr@fenton.com
August 22, 2025 –– Dr. Andrea Abrams, executive director of the Defending American Values Coalition, a member of the American Pride Rises Network, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing the Trump administration to halt nearly $800 million for National Institutes of Health research grants tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives:
“This decision is not about fiscal responsibility—it’s about scapegoating. Once again, DEI has been turned into the excuse of the moment, a convenient target for those who would rather dismantle progress and restore barriers to opportunity than confront the real challenges facing our country.
By using DEI as a justification to slash NIH research funding, the Trump administration is undermining life-saving medical breakthroughs and cutting off opportunities for underrepresented communities to contribute to the future of science and innovation. These cuts don’t just hurt researchers—they hurt cancer patients waiting for new treatments, families hoping for answers about a loved one’s illness, and communities across the country that rely on public health advancements.
Let’s be clear: these attacks are about narrowing who gets to belong in American institutions and closing pathways to opportunity for millions of Americans. When Black maternal health studies are defunded, Black women—already three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes—are left without solutions. When community health research in rural America dries up, families lose access to the tools that could address issues such as heart disease or opioid addiction. When clinical trials don’t include diverse participants, treatments for Alzheimer’s, diabetes, or long COVID fail to reach the very patients most affected.
By attacking DEI in research, the Trump administration and its allies are putting ideology ahead of science, and politics ahead of people’s lives. The cost will be measured not just in missed opportunities, but in preventable suffering across every corner of this nation.
American Pride Rises stands with the researchers, patients, and communities whose futures are put at risk by this ruling. We will not be distracted by scapegoating or fearmongering. We will continue to fight for an America where knowledge, equity, and opportunity are the drivers of progress—not the casualties of partisan power plays.”About American Pride Rises:
American Pride Rises (APR) is an initiative committed to protecting pathways to the American Dream by fighting for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive America for all.