Which programs’ funding is frozen at Duke? White House and university won’t say
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- $108 million freeze affects Duke funding, but program specifics remain undisclosed.
- Federal officials cite racial bias claims; Duke has not confirmed a response plan.
- University and White House silent about whether Duke met deadline to respond.
After the Trump administration froze $108 million in federal funds for Duke University and Duke Health, questions remain unanswered about exactly which programs are affected and what may be done to negotiate a resolution — even as the university passes a deadline set by the government to respond to its demands.
Monday marked the 10-business-day deadline for Duke officials to decide whether they will form a “Merit and Civil Rights Committee” to address allegations of racial discrimination at the university in its health system, brought by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon in a July 28 letter.
A Duke spokesperson did not respond to The News & Observer’s inquiry this week about whether the university decided to form the committee, nor did the White House.
Both the government and the university have remained tight-lipped about their plans and the extent of the funding freeze.
Last week, the White House confirmed to The N&O that it had frozen $108 million in funds, but it has not publicly stated which specific funds were cut, nor given a reason why.
The N&O also contacted the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Duke to ask about which specific funds have been cut — but no answers have been provided. HHS only pointed to a broad database of all NIH funding for the university.
Nor did Duke respond publicly to a letter from staff, faculty and alumni celebrating the school’s diversity efforts and calling for a stronger response to the administration’s allegations of racial discrimination.
The funding freeze comes as universities across the country come under scrutiny from the administration, which has sought to pull federal dollars if colleges don’t submit to their demands to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programs and harshly discipline student protesters.
Larry Ladd, an adviser with the Association of Governing Boards and Universities, said Duke’s silence on the matter is typical among colleges attempting to work out a deal with the government. (Universities, including Duke, also seldom comment on pending legal matters like lawsuits.)
“If they are going to be in conversation, they don’t want to have it play out in newspapers,” he said.
Ladd said universities are also hesitant to make deals with the administration that might threaten their academic independence.
“None of them are eager to negotiate,” he said. “But they are balancing negotiation with the government against the harm that is being done to their university by withholding the money.”
On Tuesday, a website for Duke’s endowment displayed a pop-up message for visitors noting the “challenging times” facing the university amid “massive” cuts to federal funding and research. But the message said Duke remains “committed to maintaining our core values of respect, trust, inclusion, discovery, and excellence.”
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 11:02 AM.
