Pam Bondi Ending Taxpayer Funded ‘Slush Fund’ Studying ‘Toxic Masculinity’ And ‘Structural Racism’
Attorney General Pam Bondi has officially ended a federal grant program that funneled taxpayer dollars into academic projects focused on so-called “toxic masculinity” and “structural racism.” The program, which originated during the Obama administration, is being dismantled as part of a broader Trump-era crackdown on ideological waste and politicized research disguised as science.
Bondi called the program “an embarrassing misuse of taxpayer money” and said it represented everything wrong with the left’s infiltration of federal agencies. “We are no longer funding partisan activism under the banner of ‘research,’” Bondi said. “If it’s not evidence-based, objective, and directly beneficial to the American people, it doesn’t belong in our budget.”
The now-defunct grant system handed out millions of dollars to projects that promoted fringe academic theories—many of which lacked any measurable outcomes or accountability. Among the projects reportedly funded were studies blaming male behavior for systemic violence, efforts to reframe public health through the lens of racial equity, and social engineering initiatives aimed at reshaping masculinity in American schools.
The decision to shut it down has been widely applauded by conservatives, veterans’ groups, and advocates of fiscal responsibility who have long criticized these grants as ideological slush funds that advanced divisive narratives rather than solving real problems.
“This was a left-wing grift masquerading as science,” said one senior DOJ official. “Our job is to keep Americans safe and uphold the law—not bankroll social experiments on gender identity and race theory.”
Bondi’s move comes in line with President Trump’s broader agenda to defund radical DEI-driven initiatives across government, academia, and healthcare. Similar funding streams in other departments—including HHS, Education, and the CDC—are also under review, with more cuts expected in the coming months.
Critics of the decision, largely from left-leaning academic institutions and activist organizations, claim the funding was meant to address “systemic inequities” and cultural factors influencing behavior. But Bondi and her team reject that premise entirely.
“This country wasn’t built on victimhood,” Bondi said. “It was built on accountability, individual liberty, and personal responsibility—and those are the values we’ll support moving forward.”
The DOJ will now redirect remaining funds toward programs with proven results in crime prevention, national security, and public safety—priorities the department says have been ignored for far too long in favor of politically correct pet projects.