The Trump administration has halted $108 million in federal research funding for Durham, N.C.-based Duke University, a spokesperson for HHS confirmed with Becker’s. The freeze comes amid a federal investigation into alleged racial discrimination at the Duke University School of Medicine and other Duke Health entities.
“If Duke illegally gives preferential treatment to law, journal or medical school applicants based on those students’ immutable characteristics, that is an affront not only to civil rights law, but to the meritocratic character of academic excellence,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, said in a July 28 news release.
In late July, Duke shared plans to lay off 599 employees who accepted voluntary separation offers, with additional involuntary layoffs planned. Affected employees will be contacted from Aug. 5 to Aug. 19 by their managers and will work with human resources during the transition.
The Trump administration also paused $180 million in funds for an estimated 300 National Science Foundation grants to Los Angeles-based UCLA this week, with claims of its “deliberate indifference” regarding antisemitic discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students, The Los Angeles Times reported Aug. 1.
“This disgusting breach of civil rights against students will not stand: [The Department of Justice] will force UCLA to pay a heavy price for putting Jewish Americans at risk and continue our ongoing investigations into other campuses in the UC system,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a July 29 news release.
A spokesperson for NSF also confirmed with Becker’s in an Aug. 1 statement that the foundation was “suspending awards” to UCLA due to not being “in alignment with NSF priorities and/or programmatic goals.”
The funding freeze comes as part of a broader initiative under Executive Order 14173 to eliminate unlawful DEI practices in publicly funded institutions and restore merit-based standards. Federal agencies have increasingly turned attention to universities in recent months, citing concerns over admissions policies, antisemitism, and compliance with civil rights law.
UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk confirmed in a July 31 letter to the community that the university had received notice from the federal government about certain UCLA research funding suspensions.
“This is not only a loss to the researchers who rely on critical grants. It is a loss for Americans across the nation whose work, health, and future depend on the groundbreaking work we do,” he said. “Let me be clear: Federal research grants are not handouts. Our researchers compete fiercely for these grants, proposing work that the government itself deems vital to the country’s health, safety and economic future. Grants lead to medical breakthroughs, economic advancement, improved national security and global competitiveness — these are national priorities.”
Mr. Frenk also said that UCLA’s leadership team had been preparing for this situation for multiple months and has created contingency plans to protect faculty, students and staff while defending its core values.
Becker’s has reached out to Duke Health and UCLA Health for comment and will update this story should more information become available.
