The American Historical Association (AHA) is organizing actions to defend the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and historical researchers affected by the Trump administration’s and so-called DOGE’s teams attacks on the NEH.

Trump administration members illegally halted payments on many active NEH grants yesterday (see my previous post on this issue) and seems to have suspended current and future grant competitions.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has a regular annual cycle of grant competitions, subject to peer review and evaluation. The latest NEH grants were announced in January 2025.

Trump administration officials have now improperly and illegally blocked the grant payments on those legitimately issued grants.

State Humanities Councils, local museums, libraries, universities, and researchers are all affected by the suspensions of active grants. I personally know of many institutions and researchers who have already received improper notifications that their current grants are cancelled.

The entire research infrastructure in the United States has been disrupted by the illegal and anti-constitutional actions of the Trump administration. The so-called DOGE team’s actions also violate principles of academic freedom, scientific integrity, research ethics, civil rights, and human rights.

I am a member of the American Historical Association and actively support its efforts to save the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“The American Historical Association has released a statement condemning the evisceration of the National Endowment for the Humanities, as the current administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has terminated hundreds of grants and put 75% of staff on leave. ‘The NEH and the grants it administers nourish our democracy through research, education, preservation, institutional capacity building, and public programming in the humanities for the benefit of the American people,’ the statement reads. ‘This frontal attack on the nation’s public culture is unpatriotic, anti-American, and unjustified.’

“We encourage our members to contact your congressional representatives today through the National Humanities Alliance’s action alert, and urge them to save the NEH. The NHA is also collecting information about current grants that have been canceled since March 31, 2025.”

For the full text of the American Historical Association’s statement, see the AHA website.

Please take action to Save the NEH!

The National Humanities Alliance is organizing a political action campaign to Save the NEH!