Mississippi universities and community colleges could lose a combined $32.5 million in federal research funding under the Trump administration, according to a new report published by The Center for American Progress.
A new analysis released o Wednesday by the national left-leaning nonprofit think tank found that during President Donald Trump’s first six months, federal agencies — primarily the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation — have canceled more than 4,000 grant awards worth an estimated $7 billion at over 600 colleges and universities across the country as of early July. Between $3.3 billion to $3.7 billion in research grants have been targeted.
Data for the analysis was pulled from DOGE’s “Wall of Receipts,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services list of terminated grants and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Fiscal Spending. The report looks at terminated grants, not grants that were paused or “frozen,” according to the analysis.
Mississippi colleges and universities could lose $32,513,961 in federal research grants and funding cuts under the Department of Government Efficiency, according to the report. Mississippi State University would take the biggest hit, losing more than $25.6 million.
Earlier this year, Mark Keenum, president of the university, penned a letter of concern over the federal administration’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts linked to research funding, student aid and other school operations, calling the potential loss “catastrophic” to the university.
In a statement sent to Mississippi Today, Keenum said the institution has been working with state lawmakers and federal agency leaders to help recover funds that were threatened.
“We are deeply appreciative of the help of our Mississippi congressional delegation as they work to preserve MSU research programs and ameliorate cuts to our institution’s benefit. U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith worked particularly hard on the Senate Appropriations Committee to win concessions for our outstanding Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish research,” Keenum said. “I am proud of the way our faculty, staff, and students remained focused and disciplined in their reactions to these challenges. Because of that, we continue to serve as our state’s premier research and development hub.”
Terminating millions of dollars in research grants at universities could strip schools and their communities of resources and job opportunities, Greta Bedekovics, co-author of the analysis and associate director of democracy policy at the national think tank, said in a statement.
“These data show that no institution, big or small, is safe from being targeted, and all states are suffering the consequences of cuts,” Bedekovics said. “The future success of many universities and colleges, their reputations, and their ability to attract talent is on the line.”
Historically Black colleges and universities, as well as public land grant universities have also been affected, with more than two-thirds of all land grant universities and nearly half of HBCUs targeted for funding terminations, according to the report.
The state has two land grant universities — Mississippi State University and Alcorn State University, the state’s oldest land grant university, which is targeted for $272,369 in cuts. Alcorn is also an HBCU, as is Mississippi’s Jackson State University targeted for $1,436,982 in cuts and Mississippi Valley State University with $59,962.
Mississippi’s capital city community colleges — Holmes Community College and Hinds Community College — could collectively lose $666,000. The University of Mississippi is targeted with a cut of $1,957,108. William Carey University, a private college in the state’s southern region, stands to lose $1.3 million.
While the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education have focused primarily on Ivy League schools and other elite institutions, colleges of all types in all 50 states have received sweeping cuts to research funding.
“Americans will feel the damage of these cuts on the economy and their impacts on the United States’ competitive edge for decades,” said Will Ragland, co-author of the analysis and vice president of research at the think tank.
