The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced Thursday that Vanderbilt University is among several schools affected by federal grant cancellations.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) rescinded a $100,000 grant that was intended to fund research on “social networks” among “sexual and gender minorities.” Other universities facing similar cancellations include the University of Houston, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Colorado.
The decision reflects a broader push for accountability in government spending, ensuring taxpayer dollars are directed toward research with clear and measurable benefits.
DOGE announced Tuesday that it has canceled several National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, including over half a million dollars allocated to a “pregnancy prevention program for transgender boys.” The move is part of a broader effort to cut wasteful government spending.
DOGE, led by tech mogul Elon Musk, revealed the cancellations in a late-night post on X. Among the most controversial grants was a $620,000 program for “an LGB+ inclusive teen pregnancy prevention program for transgender boys,” a term referring to biological females who identify as male.
The latest cancellations come just a week after DOGE announced it had eliminated NIH grants funding transgender experiments on animals. According to DOGE, one of the revoked grants included $532,000 for using a mouse model to investigate the effects of cross-sex testosterone treatment.
During President Donald Trump’s recent joint address before Congress, he highlighted multiple instances of questionable government spending uncovered by DOGE, including “$8 million for making mice transgender.” The day after Trump’s speech, DOGE confirmed the NIH had officially revoked funding for these experiments.
