politics
Federal agencies used keywords to cancel $2 billion in UC research grants
Federal agencies canceled more than 1,000 University of California research grants worth nearly $2 billion after searching for terms related to diversity, gender, vaccines, and COVID-19. Researchers sued the Trump administration, and a federal judge will hold a hearing October 20 on whether to issue a final ruling that the cancellations violated the Constitution.
Jul 21, 1:27 PM·1m read1 source
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Federal agencies that terminated more than 1,000 University of California research grants last year used keyword searches for terms including diversity, gender, vaccine hesitancy, and COVID-19 to identify projects that conflicted with administration priorities.
The agencies stated in court filings submitted last week in Thakur v. Trump that they did not review individual grants for compliance or performance before canceling them. Lawyers for the researchers said the admissions show the grants were terminated for political reasons rather than grant-specific violations.
The case, filed last spring, seeks restoration of the grants. Lawyers for the UC researchers asked the court to skip trial and issue a final ruling that the cancellations violated the First Amendment and other constitutional provisions. Judge Rita F.
Lin scheduled a hearing for October 20. Lin has previously issued preliminary orders requiring agencies to restore grants while the case proceeds. Those orders included restoration of hundreds of UCLA grants that agencies had suspended over campus antisemitism claims and transgender athlete policies.
The Department of
Transportation identified six grants totaling about $42 million that mentioned equity in transportation, disadvantaged communities, or workforce diversification. Three of those grants, led by a UC Davis professor, ended with 77 researchers leaving 79 projects and more than 40 research assistants losing positions.
NIH suspended or canceled more than 1,000 UC grants, including nearly 700 at UCLA, covering vaccine research, cancer studies, and health outcome disparities. The agencies also stated they did not redirect the canceled funds to other research as required by congressional appropriations.
