A federal court filing opens a new window into Elon Musk’s cost-cutting effort at the Transportation Department — illuminating the termination of tens of millions of dollars in grants for university research, including projects focused on some of Secretary Sean Duffy’s interests.
Musk, the Tesla CEO who led the Department of Government Efficiency in the first half of the year, said in May that DOGE and Duffy were axing “studies to determine if roads are racist.” DOT had argued that the grants were “woke” because they advanced diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as a “green” agenda.
The cancellations hit seven grants, which totaled more than $50 million, DOT says. But who pushed to nix them, and why exactly they did so, remained a mystery — until now.
The previously unreported filing shows how one little-known bureaucrat can hold immense sway over academic research nationwide.
