Trump administration concedes that it canceled research grants in blue states

ReasonParty-alignedProgressive4 hr. ago

In late 2024, the Department of Energy (DOE) recommended canceling 624 clean energy grants, which were later reduced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to 284. These cuts disproportionately targeted grants in states represented by Democrats in the Senate and that supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Energy Secretary Chris Wright initially denied political motivations, but DOE Principal Deputy General Counsel Jeff Novak later admitted that the OMB's decision to cancel grants was based solely on the political identity of the grant recipients' states. This admission was highlighted by The New York Times and became central to a legal challenge, Thakur v. Trump, where researchers sought to retain their grants. OMB Director Russell Vought publicly boasted about the cancellations, emphasizing the political alignment of the affected states.

Bias read (Progressive): The article frames the OMB's actions as politically motivated, citing admissions from DOE officials that the cancellations were based on the political identity of the states involved. The language used emphasizes the partisan nature of the decision, aligning with left-leaning perspectives that view

NBC NewsIndependentProgressive2 days ago

The Trump administration acknowledged in a court filing that it canceled nearly 300 federal research grants solely due to the political affiliation of the states where the grants were located or performed. The admissions came in response to a lawsuit by University of California researchers who challenged the cancellations. According to documents provided by the Department of Energy, 284 grants were targeted for termination because they were associated with states that supported Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and have two Democratic senators. The administration stated that these decisions were not based on programmatic, statutory, or performance factors but rather on the political identity of the states involved. The White House and the Department of Energy later disputed the interpretation of the court filing, asserting that the cancellations were not politically motivated.

Bias read (Progressive): The article presents the Trump administration's admission of politically motivated grant cancellations, which aligns with progressive criticism of the administration's actions. While the administration disputes the framing, the article emphasizes the political nature of the decision-making process,傾