Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him

In little-noticed court documents, federal officials acknowledged this month that they had terminated the funding "based solely" on political criteria, targeting projects in states that were represented by Democrats and had voted for Kamala Harris, the party's presidential nominee, in the 2024 election. The stunning admission offered an unvarnished glimpse into the way President Trump has weaponized the provision of federal education, energy, health, housing and infrastructure aid in his second term. Far from rooting out the sort of misspending that Mr. Trump sees as rife in Washington, the White House has instead sought to leverage the budget as a tool to assist its allies — or as a cudgel to hurt the president's foes. Federal officials offered the new details about the grant cancellations as part of an agreement with plaintiffs meant to spare the government an exhaustive, evidence-uncovering process known as discovery, the court filings said. That process could have required federal agencies to hand over more damaging records. The Trump administration has also used the funding freeze to threaten states to comply with its policy priorities, including immigrant crackdowns and anti-diversity initiatives.