The University of Tennessee system faces a $37.7 million loss in federal grant funding due to cuts by President Trump’s administration, affecting 42 grants. The largest impact is on the UT Institute of Agriculture, which lost $31.2 million across eight grants crucial for agricultural research and education. Other campuses like UT Knoxville, UT Health Science Center, and UT Chattanooga also experienced funding terminations. The USDA reclaimed $26.9 million, including a terminated $30 million climate-smart agriculture project. International programs, such as the USAID-funded Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow, were halted. Some grants remain active or pending, with efforts ongoing to transition affected students and staff.
President Donald Trump’s administration has pulled the plug on roughly $37.7 million in federal funding across 42 grants for the University of Tennessee System.
The majority of the loss — $31.2 million — comes from eight terminated grants at the UT Institute of Agriculture. The institute houses the university’s agriculture research arm as well as its statewide educational organization providing resources to Tennessee farmers and communities in all 95 counties. It also houses the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and the Herbert College of Agriculture.
The UT school system was set to receive more than $59 million across 58 awards from multiple federal departments and agencies, according to records reviewed by Tennessee Lookout. The grant terminations apply to $51.4 million of that total, $37.7 million of which has not yet been spent.
UT’s Knoxville campus saw 25 awards terminated, representing a loss of a combined $2.1 million in funding. Other campuses impacted include:
UT Health Science Center: 4 terminated programs ($2.6 million)
UT Chattanooga: 4 terminated programs ($1.4 million)
UT Institute for Public Service: 1 terminated program ($419,107)
“The most immediate impact has been the need to transition students and staff supported by these affected projects to alternative funding sources,” spokesperson Melissa Tindell wrote in an email to Tennessee Lookout Friday. “Essential work such as reporting, compliance and other research operations continue with adjusted support.”
A total of 23 stop work orders have been rescinded system-wide, Tindell wrote. Nine partial stop work orders are in effect, “meaning that portions of the projects cannot be completed, though the total award amount hasn’t been impacted at this time.”
Ten grants remain active, and six are “pending.”
Campuses with active grants include:
UT Knoxville: 4 active awards ($1.5 million)
UT Chattanooga: 2 active awards ($237,650)
UT Institute of Agriculture: 4 active awards ($1.5 million)
Awards pending further review include:
UT Knoxville: 3 awards ($1.2 million)
UT Health Science Center: 1 award ($82,000)
UT Martin: 1 award ($62,245)
UT Institute of Agriculture: 1 award (value unknown)
Of the several federal agencies that terminated funding to UT grants, the USDA reclaimed by far the most funds at $26.9 million.
Federal records show one of the grants affected was a $30 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture aiming to expand markets for climate-smart beef, dairy and small grazing animals across multiple states. The University of Tennessee sub-awarded $10.24 million to other universities for their roles in research meant to “support farmers’ and ranchers’ implementation and monitoring of climate-smart practices,” according to the grant summary on usaspending.gov.
Records maintained by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) indicate $30 million in “savings” from terminating the grant, but other federal records show $2.1 million already outlaid since the project started in September 2023. It’s not clear if the money spent was part of the project’s additional $6.2 million in non-federal funding. The project was supposed to conclude in September 2028.
The university’s Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOFT) program, which sent volunteers to Southeast Asia to support agriculture education in developing countries, is another spending cut casualty.
The program was awarded five years of funding under the U.S. Agency for International Development in 2023, but was put under a stop work order in February. The university’s webpage explaining the program now — now written in the past tense — shows its achievements from 2023 through 2025. University records show one terminated USAID program worth around $4.1 million.
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Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This article primarily reports on the impact of funding cuts to the University of Tennessee system under the Trump administration, specifically focusing on federal grants and the cessation of various projects. While it includes details of the funding losses and the specific programs affected, the language remains factual without overtly emotional or ideologically charged statements. However, the decision to focus on the administrative cutbacks, especially in agriculture and international programs, implies a critique of Trump’s policies, particularly on foreign aid and agriculture. The content adheres to a neutral tone, but the focus on consequences and the specifics of the administration’s actions give it a slight lean toward criticism of the Trump administration’s approach to federal spending in these areas, aligning it with a Center-Right perspective on government spending priorities.
SUMMARY: Fireworks for U.S. Fourth of July celebrations rely heavily on imports from China, which produces 99% of consumer and 90% of professional fireworks used in the country. The ongoing U.S.-China trade war and tariffs threaten to increase costs, creating uncertainty for small businesses and volunteer groups that fund local fireworks shows. Despite a temporary 90-day tariff pause, industry experts warn prices could soar, forcing show organizers to potentially shorten displays or substitute cheaper fireworks. Annual fundraising efforts, like those at Elephant Butte Lake State Park in New Mexico, remain crucial to maintaining traditions that celebrate national pride and community spirit.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-30 15:55:00
Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains in federal custody following a Monday ruling by Magistrate Barbara D. Holmes. Garcia faces federal human smuggling charges related to a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop where he was caught driving an SUV with eight passengers, suspected of smuggling them for money. Garcia sought release, citing conflicting government statements about potential removal to a third country before trial. Holmes noted these conflicting positions and decided Garcia will stay detained until a July 16 hearing. He is to be held separately from other inmates and given private access to his defense counsel. Garcia was recently returned to the U.S. after deportation to El Salvador.
(The Center Square) – Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not getting out of jail for now.
The Monday ruling from federal Magistrate Barbara D. Holmes comes at the request of Garcia, who is facing federal charges of human smuggling. Garcia is concerned “based on purported conflicting statements by the government, specifically that it intends to remove Abrego to a third country upon his return to DHS custody following release in this case and that it would ensure Abrego is not removed before trial on the instant criminal charges,” Holmes said in the ruling.
Holmes previously said that Garcia should be released but acknowledged that he would likely remain in federal custody. In her ruling Monday, Holmes said she considered the “perceived conflicting positions taken by the government regarding whether it will deport Abrego pending final disposition of this case including the further review by the District Judge of the government’s request for pretrial detention.”
The ruling means Garcia will be held in federal custody until a July 16 hearing.
“He shall, to the extent practicable, be held separately from persons awaiting or serving sentences or being held in custody pending appeal and he shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity for private consultation with defense counsel,” Holmes said in her ruling.
Garcia was returned to the U.S. after being deported to El Salvador to stand trial on charges of “alien smuggling” and “conspiracy to commit alien smuggling.”
The smuggling charges stem from a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. Garcia was driving an SUV with eight passengers. One of the officers believed that he was smuggling them, remarking in a video of the traffic stop that he was “hauling these people for money.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward report on the federal magistrate’s ruling regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s detention without promoting or endorsing any political viewpoint. The language used is factual and neutral, focusing on legal proceedings and specific court statements without commentary or emotionally charged phrasing. It describes the charges, court decisions, and events sequentially without framing the issue through a particular ideological lens. Thus, the content adheres to neutral, factual reporting rather than expressing or implying a political bias.
www.wkrn.com – TRAVIS LOLLER and BEN FINLEY, Associated Press – 2025-06-30 15:06:00
SUMMARY: Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains jailed in Tennessee amid concerns he could be deported before trial on human smuggling charges. His lawyers highlighted conflicting statements from the Trump administration about his immigration status, fearing immediate deportation despite pending charges. Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, violating a 2019 judge’s order due to credible gang threats. The administration returned him to face charges, which his attorneys call baseless. Although a judge ruled he is neither a flight risk nor a danger, concerns over ICE’s authority to deport him have delayed his release. A July hearing will reconsider his detention.
