The Trump administration has cut or frozen federal grants totalling up to $177bn since the president began his second term, according to a tracking tool released on Wednesday by a pro-democracy non-profit and a group of researchers and scientists.
The analysis, conducted by the States United Democracy Center and Grant Witness, found that the cuts have affected all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Health, nutrition, the environment, and disaster relief represent the largest share of these reductions.
Specific grants that were eliminated, frozen, or delayed 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 money, according to the tracking tool named Lost Funds.
Scott Delaney, cofounder of Grant Witness, stated that Lost Funds brings together thousands of funding disruptions into a publicly accessible, verified database, highlighting the magnitude of their impact. The $177bn figure represents nearly 10% of federal discretionary spending.
The new tool, which is publicly available, uses data from USASpending.gov, an open data source for federal spending information. Organisers of the tracker indicated it would be updated regularly as the administration takes further action and lawsuits progress through the courts.