The Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $177 billion in federal grants since the president began his second term, according to an analysis released by the States United Democracy Center and Grant Witness. The groups say the affected funding covers programs in areas including health, nutrition, the environment and disaster relief.
The analysis is based on a public tracking tool called Lost Funds, which uses federal spending data to document grant disruptions. The organizations behind the tool said it is intended to track changes in federal funding as new actions are taken and as related legal cases continue.
Tracking Tool Identifies Widespread Grant Disruptions
According to the States United Democracy Center and Grant Witness, the reported grant disruptions affected every US state as well as the District of Columbia. The groups identified funding changes involving programs such as maternal health services in Michigan, education research in Mississippi and assistance for minority farmers in Iowa.
The analysis found that California, Texas, New York, Illinois and North Carolina recorded the highest amounts of interrupted grant money. The organizations said the total amount identified by the tracker represents nearly 10% of federal discretionary spending.
The Lost Funds database was created using information from USASpending.gov, an open data source for federal spending records. The organizations said the database will be updated as the administration takes further actions and as court cases related to grant funding decisions move forward.
Scott Delaney, co-founder of Grant Witness, said the database brings together thousands of funding disruptions in a publicly accessible format. “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,” Delaney said in a statement. The groups said the scale of the recorded disruptions goes beyond what they describe as typical funding changes that occur when administrations change.
Grant Changes Become Subject of Legal Challenges
Some federal grant decisions made by the administration have faced legal challenges. According to the Associated Press, courts have ruled against the administration in some cases involving grant funding cuts.
The tracking effort is being maintained by organizations with different roles in documenting government actions. States United Democracy Center describes itself as a nonpartisan organization focused on the rule of law and elections. Grant Witness is made up of scientists, researchers and attorneys who track changes in federal funding under President Donald Trump’s administration. The White House was contacted for comment on the analysis, according to the Associated Press.
The researchers behind Lost Funds said the database is designed to provide a record of federal grant disruptions across the country. The tool includes information gathered from federal spending records and is expected to change as additional actions and court decisions are recorded.
The analysis does not represent a final accounting of all federal grant activity during the administration’s second term. Instead, it reflects the funding disruptions identified by the groups through their review of available government spending data.
