The administration admitted to canceling nearly 300 federal research grants based solely on the political leanings of the recipient states.
The administration admitted in a court filing that it terminated 284 federal research grants specifically because the projects were located in states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and featured two Democratic senators. Jeff Novak, the principal deputy general counsel of the Department of Energy, noted that these cancellations were not based on programmatic, statutory, or cost-reduction factors. Instead, the decision was based solely on whether the recipient's location was in a "Blue State" or a "non-Blue State." While the filing suggests a political motivation, the Department of Energy maintains that the decisions were not partisan. Ben Dietderich, press secretary for the Energy Department, called the admission a misrepresentation, stating that the political identity referred to the timing of the announcement rather than the decisions themselves. This move follows a broader effort by the administration to exert more control over federal grants to ensure they align with the priorities of President Trump and do not promote "anti-American values."