Earlier, I talked about discussing this situation with someone whose NEH grant got revoked. This occurred a few weeks back and has received considerable coverage, yet I wish to offer additional insights behind these cancellations. In comparison to grants typically awarded at major academic institutions, the financial amount involved here isn’t particularly substantial; it doesn't reach high six-figure sums. My focus isn't on detailing the specific aspects of the grant itself, such as its subject matter or beneficiary. While I understand that the initiative seems intriguingly complex, my intention is to relay certain nuances since they provide insight into life within the DOGE community. Despite the prevalent intellectual turmoil and deliberate dismantling efforts, the circumstances surrounding this case border on absurdity—almost comical—and then veer back towards sheer peculiarity again. To convey the essence accurately, all I can do is present several instances for your consideration.
Initially, there's a platform known as the eGMS Reach system specifically for NEH grants. This tool is utilized for submitting applications, receiving grants, managing them, and even ending them. However, this wasn't employed in their case. Yet, that marks just the start of the narrative. What's more surprising is they did not utilize a governmental or NEH email address either. The email under scrutiny originates from an @onMicrosoft.com domain. Such accounts are standard defaults provided upon purchasing Microsoft Office 365 suites like Word and Excel. These temporary accounts serve until full setup with organizational URLs occurs since these tools cater primarily to business or educational institutions.
The cover letter attached bears the signature of the interim NEH Chairperson. Michael McDonald , the long-serving NEH General Counsel who was appointed as Chair by the DOGE. He seems to have been the internal conservative voice and likely because of this, he was named acting chair. Regarding the use of a Microsoft account to send the email, it states: "The termination of your grant is now a critical priority for the administration, and owing to extraordinary conditions, following the usual protocol for notifications cannot be done."
If you weren't aware that the NEH was under attack, you'd likely believe the email was either a joke or an attempt at phishing. Regardless, I've been informed that numerous university officials were too apprehensive to click on the links due to how blatantly false it appeared.
If the wording seems somewhat formal, this is how the grant termination is explained: "The terms of your grant no longer align with the agency's current requirements and priorities, nor do they meet the conditions set forth in the Grant Agreement; hence, it can be terminated for various justifiable reasons, as detailed in 2CFR§200.340. Due to the NEH realigning its funding towards a new strategic focus aligned with the President’s objectives, there is sufficient reason to end your grant."
Understood? Let me craft another sentence to reinforce the idea.
Subsequently, the previous recipient is informed, "The abrupt cessation of your grant is essential to protect the interests of the federal government..."
The letter ends by stating that the recipient’s grant could still face an audit despite the termination (a nice addition!), then includes another @Microsoft email for queries, emphasizing that only urgent ones should be forwarded.
It seems as though this passage describes an environment dominated by individuals with poor social skills who appear socially isolated. This might be due to the fact that such individuals were indeed involved. Based on my observations, McDonald served as the resident far-right figure since his appointment as general counsel in 2003. It's likely he could express himself much more coherently. Overall, everything comes across as amusingly absurd and disheartening. However, I discovered it enlightening for gaining insight into the type of people deciding to dismantle significant portions of the U.S. government infrastructure.
I realized that this text could be seen as a form of performative philistinism aimed at mocking the idea of the humanities? Perhaps? Or maybe it’s due to AI influence. However, I'm fairly certain it's the first option. Let's keep in mind that despite these occurrences becoming somewhat routine, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) was established by the U.S. Congress; thus, it exists through statute. Consequently, the President does not have the power to dismantle it. DOGE continues to operate as an insider threat program sanctioned by the U.S. President.
This story originally appeared on Talking Points Memo .
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