Trump’s bold move to slash nearly a billion dollars in federal research grants tied to DEI and radical gender initiatives has the left in a legal frenzy, but the fate of these taxpayer-funded programs now hangs on the Supreme Court’s decision.
At a Glance
- Trump administration seeks Supreme Court approval to cut $783 million in NIH grants supporting DEI and gender identity research
- Federal judges have blocked some cuts, forcing the administration to appeal and putting funding in limbo
- DEI programs are facing their most aggressive rollback yet, with critics calling them unconstitutional and ideologically driven
- Hundreds of research projects and major grant programs—plus corporate partners—are caught in the crossfire
Trump Administration Moves to End Federal Funding for Woke DEI Research
Washington, D.C.—President Trump has once again delivered on his promise to put America First by moving to eliminate nearly $800 million in federal research grants tied to so-called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and radical gender identity studies. On July 24, 2025, the administration formally asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s order that forced the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to reinstate $783 million in canceled grants. These grants, established under previous left-wing administrations, funneled taxpayer money to projects many Americans consider ideologically driven, divisive, and out of step with constitutional principles. The administration’s action is the next step in a sweeping, long-overdue rollback of DEI programs across government and the private sector.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow it to cut hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of research funding in its push to roll back federal 'DEI' efforts. https://t.co/XKdJj0QC0O
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 25, 2025
The Trump administration’s executive orders have already resulted in the immediate termination of awards and contracts funding gender identity and racial “equity” research. In February 2025, NIH began axing grants, citing the need to realign federal research priorities with the Constitution and the interests of the American people. Predictably, the left was quick to respond: 16 states, activist groups, and university researchers raced to file lawsuits, pulling sympathetic federal judges into the fray. District courts in Massachusetts and Maryland have since issued preliminary injunctions, temporarily blocking the administration’s cuts and keeping these controversial projects on taxpayer life support—at least for now.
Watch a report: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let it move forward with cuts to NIH grants
Legal Battles Pit Constitutional Principles Against Leftist Ideology
As the legal fight intensifies, the Trump administration has made clear it will not back down from its commitment to end federal support for what it calls “radical gender and racial ideologies masquerading as science.” Solicitor General D. John Sauer has argued before the courts that DEI funding is not only wasteful but also violates the very constitutional principles the federal government is sworn to protect. Meanwhile, the usual suspects—state attorneys general, unions, and advocacy groups—insist that DEI grants are essential for “scientific progress” and “equity.” Their arguments sound more like political slogans than science, but thanks to activist judges, they’ve managed to stall some cuts for now.
Private corporations that built entire compliance departments around federal DEI mandates now find themselves in a bind. Companies like Microsoft, IBM, Google, and JP Morgan have scrambled to either distance themselves from DEI or double down on these initiatives, depending on which way the political wind blows. The result? Uncertainty, compliance headaches, and a lot of nervous boardroom meetings as the fate of taxpayer-subsidized DEI hangs in the balance.
Taxpayers, Scientific Integrity, and the Future of Federal Research
The immediate consequence of this high-stakes showdown is chaos and confusion in the research sector. Hundreds of projects focused on so-called “health disparities,” gender identity, and minority health now face disruption or outright defunding. Academic researchers—many of whom staked their careers on chasing DEI cash—are left in limbo, as are the institutions and communities that depend on these grants. The administration’s budget proposal goes even further, aiming to eliminate major grant programs like Preschool Development Grants and Teacher Quality Partnerships that have become pet projects of the left.
