Trump Administration Admits to Axing 300 Research Grants Based on Political Lines
The Trump administration openly acknowledged it canceled nearly 300 federal research grants, explicitly stating these terminations were “solely because” the projects were linked to states that voted against him in the 2024 election and had two Democratic senators. This shocking admission surfaced in court filings related to a lawsuit from University of California researchers challenging the cancellations.
In the recent filing, the administration confirmed that out of over 2,300 financial assistance awards from the Department of Energy, 624 grants were marked for either “termination” or “cancel.”
Jeff Novak, principal deputy general counsel of the Department of Energy, revealed that in October 2025, the Office of Management and Budget pinpointed 284 specific grants for termination.
Novak stated that with one exception, all 284 terminated grants were tied to locations in states that awarded their electoral votes to Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and had two Democratic-caucusing senators.
He noted that the remaining 340 grants proposed for termination were not canceled in October 2025 or afterward. These unterminated grants were linked to states that awarded their electoral votes to President Trump in the same election or had at least one Republican-caucusing senator.
Novak clarified that the decision to cancel the 284 grants was not influenced by any programmatic, statutory, cost-reduction, or performance-based factors.
“DOE accepts that the inclusion of grants in the October notice tranche was based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state,” Novak stated, emphasizing whether the recipient’s location was in a Blue State or a non-Blue State.
He further asserted that the Department of Energy would not claim it considered the political identity or geographic distribution of downstream beneficiaries when making these decisions.
The White House did not respond immediately to requests for comment regarding these admissions.
In a statement, the Department of Energy contended that court filings did not substantiate claims that termination decisions were politically motivated. Ben Dietderich, press secretary for the Energy Department, labeled it a misrepresentation of Novak’s statements.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright previously denied any partisan motivations behind grant cancellations during a House Science, Space and Technology Committee appearance in June. He dismissed allegations of political influence as “bulls---t,” vowing to repeat this assertion as often as necessary.
In October, when the 284 grants were axed, OMB Director Russ Vought declared that nearly $8 billion in funding for what he termed “Green New Scam” projects was being canceled to thwart the Left’s climate agenda.
Vought identified 16 states affected by these cancellations, including California, New York, Colorado, Vermont, and New Jersey.
This filing coincides with a new rule proposed by the Office of Management and Budget that would grant political appointees unprecedented control over $1 trillion in federal grant funding annually.
The proposed rule aims to ensure grant alignment with presidential priorities and enhance oversight. It suggests political appointees screen grant applications to prevent promotion of “anti-American values” and allows them to terminate grants deemed “no longer in the Federal Government’s interest.”
The 284 canceled federal grants represent just a fraction of funding targeted by the Trump administration. Since beginning his second term, Trump has also axed grants mentioning DEI and frozen research funding at institutions like Harvard over allegations of antisemitism.
Trump has threatened to withdraw federal funding from states resisting his policies. In January, he announced intentions to deny funding to states with sanctuary cities opposing his anti-immigration agenda.
