The federal keyword lists that canceled billions in research funding
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Federal agencies used keyword lists to cancel billions in research funding.
Court documents from a UC lawsuit revealed NIH, NSF, DOD, and NEH used keyword searches to terminate grants. NSF sourced its list from a 2024 Cruz report targeting DEI and "neo-Marxist" perspectives. NIH targeted terms like "health equity" and "structural racism," canceling at least $2.6M in projects. DOD targeted climate and green energy terms like "solar" and "decarbonization." NEH targeted "environmental justice" and "transgenderism." Agencies avoided individual grant review, using general criteria. UC researchers allege First Amendment violations.
What commenters are saying
Commenters expressed outrage at the administration's actions, calling them maliciously incompetent or deliberately destructive. Some argued the keyword lists show a politicized attack on science, with one noting math professors were told to remove "inequalities" from grants. Others suggested the chaos enables exploitation by insiders. A minority argued this is consistent with conservative ideology, not foreign influence. The thread split between those seeing incompetence versus deliberate harm, with several pointing to Project 2025 architect Russell Vought's stated goal to traumatize bureaucrats.