WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has taken an axe to Biden-era grants to universities that promoted “woke” ideology.
In a press release issued on Friday, May 2, Duffy announced that his department has “terminated seven woke university grants totaling $54 million.”
“These grants were used to advance a radical DEI and green agenda that were both wasteful and ran counter to the transportation priorities of the American people,” the statement reads.
The grants funded leftist research on topics such as how “the transportation system creates and perpetuates inequities” and how “improvements to auto travel can benefit higher income, often white drivers.”
Schools that receive the funding included the University of Southern California, New York University, and Johns Hopkins University, among others.
X owner Elon Musk praised the cuts in a social media post.
“Working with Secretary Duffy, the Department of Government Efficiency is glad to stop funding studies to determine if roads are racist. This was an actual thing that was happening!” he exclaimed.
Working with @SecDuffy, the @DOGE is glad to stop funding studies to determine if roads are racist.
This was an actual thing that was happening! 🤦♂️ https://t.co/H5pWcmG9jT
— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 2, 2025
Duffy, a Catholic who previously served in Congress, made headlines last month when he installed an painting of Jesus Christ that the Biden administration reportedly had removed.
While speaking at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in April, Duffy elicited enthusiastic cheers and applause after announcing that a painting of Our Lord saving merchant mariners will be publicly displayed again. Duffy also had a copy of it installed in the Transportation Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The @USMMAO Christ on the Water painting is a beautiful reminder of the power of faith when we need it most.
While we work on getting the piece out of the academy’s basement and back in a place of prominence, I figured there was no better place to hang a copy than right here at… pic.twitter.com/zrhtS6JRmw
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 7, 2025
Duffy also announced on Tuesday, April 6, that he approved 180 woke-free infrastructure grants totaling more than $3.2 billion dollars.
“The last administration liked to grab the headlines but didn’t want to do the hard work of building. They also tied road construction up with red tape and leftist social requirements – adding millions in costs and months of delay – all while our outdated infrastructure sat in disrepair,” he announced.
In February, Duffy, who is also a father of nine children, directed his department to “give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average” when approving grant money.