Article Image

News Link • LGBTQ-Gay Rights

RFK Jr. kills off $122M in grants to LGBT and diversity causes in sweeping action

• https://www.dailymail.co, By PHILLIP NIETO

RFK Jr. gutted nearly $122 million at the Department of Health and Human Services for grants focusing on LGBT topics and diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to a report by the New York Post.

The Trump administration deemed the defunded 195 projects as having too much of a focus on race and sexual orientation. Per the Post, Kennedy began making the sweeping cuts back in March.

Kennedy reportedly worked with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to drain funding from DEI programs.

One of the largest grants to be tossed by Kennedy was $5.5 million from the National Cancer Institute intended for the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

According to the Post, the purpose of the grant was for the 'Vanderbilt FIRST' initiative seeking to 'recruit at least 18 tenure-track faculty from minoritized racial and ethnic groups.'

Another program that Kennedy tore apart were payments to Drexel University of more than $4.6 million from the National Cancer Institute for 'Catalyzing Systemic Change at Drexel University to Support Diverse Faculty in Health Disparities Research.'

The university reportedly planned to use the money for 'mentoring and supporting diverse early-stage faculty dedicated to health disparities research.'

Kennedy also demanded the National Institute of Mental Health cut off the $2.4 million grant to the University of Virginia for researching 'Neurodevelopmental Biomarkers of Late Diagnosis in Female and Gender Diverse Autism.'

The grant was reportedly part of a total endowment of $12 million announced by UVA in 2022.

The National Institute on Aging under Kennedy's watch removed a $1.1 million grant for the University of Michigan for 'Improving Inclusivity of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Research for Asian Americans and Latinx through Nationally Representative Hybrid Sampling.'

The post reached out to nearly a dozen grant recipients, but none responded to requests for comment.

The revelation about the extent to which RFK Jr. has cut DEI programs across HHS comes after the health secretary fired the director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.


midfest.info