 defended sweeping federal grant cancellations even after acknowledging the effort failed to reduce the U.S. deficit.){kind=link}
Depositions Reveal Use of AI to Identify DEI Programs
Newly released depositions reveal that two staff members from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) defended sweeping federal grant cancellations even after acknowledging the effort failed to reduce the U.S. deficit.
The testimony comes from a civil lawsuit filed by academic organizations including the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association, and the Modern Language Association. The case challenges cuts to more than $100 million in grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Musk’s Government Efficiency Push
The funding cuts followed the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January 2025, when he appointed Elon Musk as a lead adviser in the newly created DOGE initiative aimed at reducing federal spending.
Within days, federal agencies were directed to place diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) staff on leave and close related programs.
AI Used to Flag Grants for Cancellation
In depositions, DOGE employees Justin Fox and Nate Cavanaugh said they relied on ChatGPT to help analyze thousands of grants.
According to court filings, the AI tool was prompted to determine whether grant descriptions involved DEI topics. Grants containing keywords such as “DEI,” “equity,” “inclusion,” or “LGBTQ” were often flagged for review and possible termination.
Cavanaugh acknowledged during questioning that the effort did not achieve its central goal.
“You don’t regret that people might have lost important income … to support their lives?” an attorney asked.
“No. I think it was more important to reduce the federal deficit from $2 trillion to close to zero,” Cavanaugh replied.
“Did you reduce the federal deficit?” the attorney asked.
“No, we didn’t,” Cavanaugh said.
Experience and Oversight Questioned
Attorneys also pressed the pair about their qualifications, noting that neither had prior government experience before joining DOGE.
Cavanaugh defended the decisions, arguing that reviewing grant descriptions was enough to determine whether they should be canceled. Fox faced additional scrutiny for labeling projects related to civil rights history and a documentary about Holocaust survivors as DEI-related spending.
Critics argue the grant cancellations unfairly targeted academic and cultural research, while DOGE officials maintain the cuts were aimed at eliminating wasteful spending and redirecting funds to projects aligned with the administration’s priorities.
Court filings indicate some of the reclaimed funds were redirected to the planned National Garden of American Heroes, a sculpture garden proposed to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
For more on this story, stay tuned to Que Onda Magazine.