How DOGE Canceled a Climate Change Grant at NEH

Why It Matters

The cancellation demonstrates how politicized interpretations of climate science can suppress humanities research, setting a precedent for future agency funding decisions.

Key Takeaways

• Trump-era NEH staff flagged climate grants as policy conflicts
• AI chatbots reportedly assisted in identifying climate-related proposals
• Deposition reveals staff cited executive orders to cancel grants
• Testimony contains factual inaccuracies about NEH’s climate history
• Cancellation reflects broader politicization of humanities funding under Trump

Summary

The video examines a recent deposition of Michael McDonald, acting chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) during the early Trump administration, revealing how the agency systematically cancelled grants that referenced climate change.

McDonald testified that staff flagged proposals as “high” because they conflicted with Trump‑era executive orders, particularly those concerning environmental justice. He claimed the administration viewed climate change as a disputed scientific issue and therefore ineligible for funding. The deposition also disclosed that AI chatbots were used to scan applications for climate language.

A highlighted exchange shows McDonald describing a grant from the American Historical Association on US environmental policy as “likely in conflict with the presidential executive order,” and then struggling to link it to the specific environmental‑justice order. He repeatedly objected to clarifying questions, while the video’s narrator points out his factual errors about NEH’s prior climate‑related funding.

The episode underscores how political priorities can override scholarly merit, chilling humanities research on climate and environmental justice. It also raises accountability questions about AI‑driven decision‑making in federal grant processes.

Original Description

When Elon Musk’s DOGE team began gutting the National Endowment for the Humanities last year, they flagged grants that might conflict with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Now, in response to a lawsuit by groups including the American Historical Association, we know more about how DOGE flagged grants for cancellation. In a deposition video, Michael McDonald, then the acting chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, discusses a grant that was likely canceled because the proposal referred to emission-driven climate change.

Full deposition video at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/Doge-Depositions-MLA-ACLS-AHA-Lawsuit-About-The-NEH