George Albu
The upper courtyard of Stevenson Center Complex, as photographed on Sept. 12, 2024. (Hustler Multimedia/George Albu)
UPDATE: This story was updated at 1:49 p.m. CST on Feb. 25 to include a statement from the university.
U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released a database on Feb. 11 flagging 3,483 National Science Foundation grants awarded during the Biden-Harris administration toward “questionable projects” allegedly promoting diversity, equity and inclusion or advancing “neo-Marxist class warfare propaganda.” Among the listed grants are 15 awarded to Vanderbilt totaling $4,941,175, one $20,000 grant to VUMC and seven collaborative research projects awarded $400,378 in funding.
Cruz’s investigation targets over $2.05 billion in federal funding. According to a press release by the committee, the goal of the database is to influence cuts to grant funding allocated by NSF in compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders to limit DEI initiatives and research funding. Cruz has recommended “strict scrutiny” of the grants listed in the database.
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