Federal agencies have acknowledged using keyword searches related to diversity, gender, vaccine hesitancy, and COVID-19 to identify and terminate more than 1,000 research grants at the University of California, according to court documents filed in a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
Researchers’ attorneys contend the admission constitutes proof of unconstitutional grant cancellations totaling nearly $2 billion. The legal team has asked the court to bypass trial and issue a summary judgment declaring multiple constitutional violations, with a hearing scheduled for Oct. 20. The agencies stated in court filings that they did not assess individual grant compliance or performance but instead applied general criteria across hundreds of awards simultaneously.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers argue the terminations violated the First Amendment by targeting research deemed politically unfavorable through mass keyword screening rather than individual merit review. They also claim the administration wrongly punished researchers in states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election while leaving grants in other states untouched. Additionally, attorneys assert the administration violated constitutional spending requirements by terminating billions in congressionally designated research funds without redirecting the money to alternative grant opportunities.
Specific examples cited include the Department of Transportation identifying six grants worth approximately $42 million for termination based on keywords like “transportation equity” and “disadvantaged communities,” while the National Institutes of Health flagged over 1,000 UC grants using search terms including “health equity” and “workforce diversity.” The NIH suspension and cancellation of more than 1,000 UC grants reportedly includes nearly 700 from UCLA related to vaccines, cancer research, and health disparities.
Federal Judge Rita Lin, a Biden appointee, has previously sided with UC professors and issued preliminary injunctions restoring grants while reviewing the case’s full merits. The Trump administration’s legal defense through the Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment on whether it acknowledges the constitutional violations alleged.