Trump Administration Cut or Froze $177 Billion in Federal Grants, Analysis Shows
The funding disruptions affected all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with health, nutrition, the environment, and disaster relief seeing the largest share of cuts.
The Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $177 billion in federal grants since President Donald Trump took office, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the nonprofit States United Democracy Center and the research group Grant Witness. The funding disruptions impacted all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Health, nutrition, the environment, and disaster relief programs represented the largest portions of the affected grants. Specific examples of eliminated, frozen, or delayed grants include those for maternal health in Michigan, education research in Mississippi, and assistance for minority farmers in Iowa. California, Texas, New York, Illinois, and North Carolina experienced the highest amounts of interrupted grant funding.
The tracking tool, named Lost Funds, aggregates thousands of funding disruptions from the Trump administration into a publicly accessible database. "By bringing thousands of funding disruptions from the Trump administration together in a publicly accessible, verified database, Lost Funds puts the magnitude of their impact on full display," said Scott Delaney, co-founder of Grant Witness.
The $177 billion figure represents nearly 10% of federal discretionary spending, the organizations stated. They characterized these disrupted grants as exceeding the typical cuts seen during presidential transitions.
"Lost Funds shows the extraordinary scale and real human impact of these disruptions, and how states are once again on the front lines protecting their residents," said Kelly Rader, research director for the States United Democracy Center.
In some instances, federal courts have ruled against the administration's grant funding reductions. The Lost Funds tool, now available for public use, derives its data from USASpending.gov, an open data source for federal spending information. The creators plan to update the tracker regularly as new administration actions occur and legal challenges progress.
States United Democracy Center describes itself as a nonpartisan organization focused on the rule of law and election integrity. Grant Witness is composed of scientists, researchers, and attorneys who monitor changes in federal funding under the Trump administration. The White House was contacted for comment on the analysis.