4 February 27 - March 5, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents I’ll (Not) Grant You That Local medical centers could lose millions for research. BY EMMA RUBY M illions of dollars in funding for North Texas-based medi- cal research currently hangs in the balance after Presi- dent Donald Trump issued an executive order demanding it be slashed, though a federal judge issued a temporary pause on the order. Twenty-two states also filed lawsuits against the order, and hearings in both cases are scheduled for Feb. 21. According to The New York Times, $71.5 million in funding for six North Texas insti- tutions could be cut if Trump’s order, which caps the amount of grant funding issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that can be put toward indirect costs, takes ef- fect. Indirect costs are the overhead dollar amounts necessary to keep a lab running — everything from utility bills to hazardous waste disposal. NIH data shows that around $9 billion of the $32 billion in grants issued in fiscal year 2024 went toward indirect costs, but Trump’s proposal would cap the amount of funding built into each grant for those items at 15%. Funding for indirect costs is “critical to the successful performance of research,” University of Texas at Dallas President Rich- ard Benson said in an email sent to students and faculty shortly after Trump’s order was issued. Benson warned that, if instated, the new grant funding structure proposed would have “the potential to significantly impact” UTD and research institutions like it. The New York Times reviewed grants of at least $1 million issued in fiscal year 2024 and calculated how much money each re- search institution would be set to lose if Trump’s policy is adopted. In North Texas, six research institutions are at risk of losing funds. The Observer reached out to all six insti- tutions to ask which projects are expected to take a hit if Trump’s policy is enacted and to confirm the accuracy of The New York Times’ estimated dollar amounts. UTD was the recipient of 68 NIH grants in fiscal year 2024, receiving $26 million in funding for medical research. The New York Times estimates $5 million of that amount would be slashed under the Trump policy. A spokesperson for UTD was unable to say if an evaluation of which projects could be affected by the new funding policy has been conducted, but NIH grants are gener- ally reserved for cutting edge advancements in medicine. Just last month, the university’s Center for Advanced Pain Studies celebrated re- ceiving a five-year, $3.1 million grant from the NIH to investigate a potential trigger for pain in patients with diabetes. The research- ers’ goal is to relieve chronic pain in those with diabetes, a disease that afflicts 35 mil- lion Americans, by using non-opioid thera- pies, a news release states. The research is funded through the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Dis- eases. “As we face potential changes to federal support for university research, UT Dallas remains committed to maintaining and growing a robust research enterprise and to supporting the faculty, staff and students who are the engine of that enterprise,” Ben- son said. Dallas’ most affected research institution would be UT Southwestern Medical Center. Receiving 600 grants totaling $289 million in fiscal year 2024, it is estimated that the center stands to lose $63 million in funding. But the Times has also warned that their estimates may be too conservative. UT Southwestern Medical Center President Dr. Daniel Podolsky believes the number could be closer to $100 million, a gobsmacking amount that would “significantly strain our institution.” “It will also put pressure on our ability to maintain the infrastructure necessary for our research operations,” Podolsky said in an email sent to faculty and staff. “The most significant long-term impact of this policy will be on the patients who depend on the discoveries made in our institution and oth- ers, ultimately leading to better treatments and cures.” The Times report notes the University of Texas at Arlington could lose at least $1 mil- lion of the $9 million allocated in the last fis- cal year, while the University of North Texas’ $3 million in grants could be reduced by $362,000. In 2023, UNT reported receiving grants for research on drug-resistant breast cancer treatment and the 3D bioprinting of human organs for drug treatment testing. Southern Methodist University also re- ceived $3 million in grants in fiscal year 2024, $183,000 of which could be slashed under Trump’s policy. Like UTD, a univer- sity spokesperson was unable to elaborate on what the policy would mean for the school’s research endeavors. “SMU remains committed to supporting our researchers and is evaluating the impact of the proposed NIH cap on indirect cost re- covery,” a spokesperson told the Observer. ▼ LEGISLATURE AN ELON TRIBUTE COMMITTEE LEGISLATURE HERALDS STATE DOGE INSPIRED BY MUSK. BY EMMA RUBY T he Texas Legislature is taking a page out of President Donald Trump’s book with the creation of a commit- tee aimed at rooting out waste and fraud within the government. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced the creation of the Delivery of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Commit- tee last week, and North Texas representa- tives pack the list of appointees. Southlake Republican Giovanni Capriglione was named chairman, and Euless Democrat Salman Bhojani will serve as vice chair. The committee’s creation pulls inspira- tion from the White House’s DOGE headed by billionaire Elon Musk. The group has slashed thousands of federal jobs and initia- tives, including those tied to diversity, equity and inclusion, and has stirred controversy by gaining access to payment systems in the federal government. Although there are few details on what the Texas committee’s inaugural year will entail, Bhojani explained to the Observer that their efforts will look different than those of their federal counterparts. (For one, the Texas DOGE committee is made up of all elected officials who were voted into office by their constituents. The federal department appears to include Musk, elected to nothing by no one, lording over a handful of tech bros.) “I don’t think this is mass firings of com- mittees and agencies and all that. That’s not what I’m thinking this DOGE is,” Bhojani said. “My goal is to work on how we can make the government more efficient by us- ing technology like AI to expedite things.” In an interview with NBC 5, Capriglione said he hopes to “increase transparency” so that Texans can better understand the day- to-day dealings of state agencies. He also wants to ensure the processes within those agencies are efficient through partnering with the Sunset Advisory Commission, the board charged with reviewing state agencies each decade and recommending reform. “To go and open up our public informa- tion act, to open up the public meetings act, so taxpayers, voters, constituents and the press can go and get as much information as possible,” Capriglione said. “Because tech- nology and modernization is not just about making a faster computer, it’s about making more of this data available.” The DOGE committee’s guiding princi- ple will be an aim to improve the “user expe- rience” of government dealings, where the user is Texas residents, he said. Bhojani, a lawyer with an education in technology administration and implementa- tion, believes he makes a natural fit for the committee alongside Capriglione, who chairs the Innovation and Technology Cau- cus within the state House of Representa- tives. Other North Texas lawmakers named to the 13-person committee include Rhetta Bowers, D-Rowlett; David Cook, R-Mans- field; Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos, D-Rich- ardson; Mike Olcott, R-Fort Worth; Tony Tinderholt, R - Arlington; and Linda Garcia, D-Mesquite. The committee hopes to inject some technological savviness into Texas’ most “mundane and administrative” processes, Bhojani said. The number of North Texans appointed to the committee shows the “clout” the region has within the technology sector, he added. “My experience has been that the gov- ernment has generally been slow to adapt to new technology,” Bhojani said. “Chairman Capriglione and myself are a good pair, and the other members of the committee are also in that same boat. We want to hit the ground running by figuring out if there are inefficiencies in the processes right now.” Capriglione cited trying to get a new driv- er’s license as a process that could be simpli- fied and digitized to keep Texans out Adobe Stock The New York Times believes a staggering amount of money could stop flowing into North Texas medical research. | UNFAIR PARK | >> p6
