MON AM News: Evers slams move to freeze funding for EV charging stations; UW-Madison says NIH funding change will disrupt research

February 10, 2025

— Gov. Tony Evers is slamming federal officials for moving to “yank tens of millions of investments” in EV charging in Wisconsin after the U.S. Department of Transportation suspended approval of state EV infrastructure plans.

The guv’s office on Friday said the Trump administration is seeking to “retroactively suspend” EV infrastructure investments in Wisconsin that were previously approved by the U.S. DOT. The state has been submitting plans for using funds under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, got approval for three consecutive fiscal years and had already started announcing grantees and obligating funds.

Wisconsin was set to receive $78 million in federal funding under the $5 billion NEVI program, and had planned to award $23 million to 53 projects in an initial round of funding. The program was funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The move to suspend approval by the U.S. DOT’s Federal Highway Administration “could jeopardize, at minimum, over $7 million” for 15 projects and investments that were already approved, Evers’ office says. That’s on top of the other $55 million the state was expecting.

Evers in a statement notes the move comes about a week after he visited a Chippewa Falls Kwik Trip to tout the launch of the state’s first federally funded EV charging stations.

“This is yet another foolish Trump Administration decision affecting projects, communities, and Wisconsinites across our state, from Janesville to Tomah and Rice Lake to Green Bay and Thorp to Mosinee,” he said in a statement.

Friday’s release also says some of the projects being affected are in the 7th CD, previously represented by former Wisconsin Cong. Sean Duffy, who now leads the U.S. DOT.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the U.S. DOT said the agency is “utilizing the unique authority afforded under the NEVI Formula Program to ensure the Program operates efficiently and effectively” and aligns with its policies and priorities.

“During this process, no new obligations may occur under the Program, but reimbursement of existing obligations will continue in order to not disrupt current financial commitments,” the spokesperson said.

See the letter sent to state transportation directors.

— UW-Madison says a Trump administration move to limit NIH funding will “significantly disrupt vital research activity and delay lifesaving discoveries and cures related to cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and much more.”

The National Institutes of Health on Friday announced it is making cuts to grants that support research institutions by limiting the amount of indirect funding for projects to 15%. Those indirect costs include things such as equipment, operations, maintenance, accounting and personnel. Those costs have averaged 27% to 28% of grants, according to the announcement.

“The United States should have the best medical research in the world. It is accordingly vital to ensure that as many funds as possible go towards direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overhead,” NIH wrote in the announcement.

In a statement late Saturday, UW-Madison noted NIH funding is its largest source of federal support and said indirect costs include things that range from building out labs where research is conducted to the infrastructure for clinical trials.

“This change will harm patients, students, faculty and the scientific enterprise,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin posted on X.

— Researchers at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health have administered the first dose of an experimental therapy for severe dry mouth as part of an ongoing clinical trial.

UW-Madison recently announced the first person to receive the new cell therapy is Julianne McGowan, a patient with a condition called xerostomia caused by the immune disorder Sjögren’s disease. The disorder affects moisture-producing glands in the body, leading to severe dryness in the mouth as well as dry eyes and joint pain.

While some other treatments for the disease are moving through the clinical trial process, those are focused on addressing active inflammation rather than the “chronic damage” to patients’ salivary glands.

Dr. Sara McCoy, assistant professor of medicine at the UW SMPH and a rheumatologist at UW Health, sought to use a patient’s own “enhanced” stem cells to improve the function of patients’ salivary glands.

Working with the UW Program for Advanced Cell Therapy, McCoy got FDA approval in 2023 to start the clinical trial for the therapy, which relies on altered cells taken from the patient’s bone marrow and reintroduced into the target glands.

“The current standard of care is not addressing the root cause of dry mouth for these patients,” McCoy said in a statement. “With this cell therapy, we are hopeful we can do more than offer temporary relief and give these people back these critical human functions.”

McGowan first noticed the symptoms of Sjögren’s disease in 2014, but wasn’t diagnosed until 2017, according to the university. Severe dry mouth and the other symptoms of the disease can cause difficulties with eating, speaking and swallowing, and a chronically dry mouth also leads to tooth decay.

To address the symptoms, McGowan had been drinking water constantly and taking special lozenges to improve saliva production. The release notes the first phase of the trial is just focused on the treatment’s safety, but McGowan says she’s already seeing improvement.

“I had been taking several lozenges a day to help with my symptoms, but after the treatment I used them once or twice a week,” McGowan said.

The Phase 0 stage of the trial is enrolling six patients, the release shows, leading up to a Phase 1 follow-up trial focused on safety and dose levels. A cohort of 12 patients in an “expansion phase” of the study will provide early data on efficacy. After initial delivery of the therapy, McCoy’s research group will track patient results for two years.

Funding for the effort comes from pilot grants awarded through the UW Department of Medicine and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

See more in the release.

— UW-Madison has announced Dr. Nita Ahuja will be the next dean for the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and the university’s vice chancellor for medical affairs.

Ahuja, a surgical oncologist, has been the chair of Yale University’s Department of Surgery since 2018 and was the first woman to hold the position, according to the release. She’s also an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a board member for the Association of American Medical Colleges.

She will succeed current dean Dr. Robert Golden in the spring, after he announced last year that he would be stepping down from the role.

“This is a remarkable opportunity to help lead the state’s flagship institution and the region’s hub for higher education,” Ahuja said in a statement.

See the release.

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— The Wisconsin Bankers Association has named Kenneth Thompson, executive board chairman for Capitol Bank in Madison, 2024 Banker of the Year.

The group recently presented Thompson with the award at its Bank Executives Conference. WBA is touting his leadership of Capitol Bank, roles with the association, efforts to drive economic growth, and community service.

Rose Oswald Poels, WBA president and CEO, says Thompson is “widely admired not only for his professionalism and expertise, but also for his genuine kindness and deep commitment to his family, colleagues, and community.”

See the release.

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