The Department of Government Efficiency, under the Trump Administration, said this week that it found $80 million in “funds wasted on programs that do not support DOD’s core mission” at the U.S. Department of Defense.

Among those programs is $6 million to the University of Montana to “strengthen American democracy by bridging divides,” according to DOD.

“At the DOD, we’ve been working hand in hand with the DOGE team,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media video. “And as the secretary said, we welcome that process because that process will make us more lethal. And that means that our warfighters on the battlefield will be more successful.”

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Since Pete Hegseth was sworn in as defense secretary, his priorities have been included “reviving the warrior ethos and restoring trust in the military; rebuilding the military by matching threats to capabilities and reestablishing deterrence by defending the homeland,” according to DOD.

Parnell said the DOGE team is continuing to look for cuts within the DOD.

“This stuff is not a core function of our military. This is not what we do. This is a distraction from our core mission,” Parnell said. “Today’s actions are just the start; more to come this week. Again, we are working hand-in-glove with DOGE. So, stay tuned in the weeks ahead as we trim the fat, preserve the muscle, make the DOD more mission-capable and more lethal.”

The DOD funding supported the University of Montana Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center for the “Project on American Democracy: Supporting Civil Society,” according to the university’s grant application.

The grant was for Aug. 1, 2023 through July 31, 2026.

Dave Kuntz, UM spokesman, told The Electric that the Mansfield Center received some notification on Feb. 28 notifying them of a “termination” of the grant.

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Kuntz said that the center has $2.5 million remaining of the $6 million grant and it was too early to know details of the impact to the program.

In their application, the Mansfield Center said the project would be focused on “increasing opportunities for Americans to learn, develop and practice civic engagement skills can significantly strengthen freedom and national security. We look to deepen citizen connections to our country, thereby bolstering patriotism. Our project aims to bridge the gap in civic engagement in a rural region of high need, thereby strengthening American democracy and enhancing national security with the following outcomes:

• citizens of all ages learn about the importance of civic responsibilities and build an understanding of and trust in our nation’s governance
• youth practice the knowledge and behaviors needed to participate in civic life and thus strengthen our system of governance
• Americans come together around shared ideals to foster a more unified nation.”

In November 2024, the DOD announced $3.3 million in grants to three universities, include UM, under the National Defense Education Program as two year grants supporting NDEP’s civil society programs aimed at providing enhance civics education in areas of critical thinking, media literacy and interest in public service.

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“Investments in civil society and civics education are vital to ensuring the United States prepares its talent base for the challenges of the 21st century,” Dr. Aprille Ericsson, who was the assistant secretary of defense for science and technology at the time, said in the November release. “DoD invests heavily in STEM to prepare students to tackle current and future technology challenges. It invests in civics education to prepare them to be tomorrow’s leaders, able to think independently, communicate adeptly, and engage with their communities as active, informed citizens.”

In 2023, 13 institutions received $53 million in grants to support Civil Society program as well as the department‘s Manufacturing Engineering Education Program, STEM scholarship programs, and Enhanced Civics Education programs.

The program at UM was among those included in the DOD grants supporting the civil society program.

Kuntz, UM spokesman, said the grant cancellation will specifically impact the “Project on American Democracy: Supporting Civil Society” at the Mansfield Center, but won’t impact any other programs or initiatives at the center.

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Such civics programs are needed, according to the Mansfield Center, since a 2022 study conducted by the Annenberg Center found American citizens have a poor understanding of their government and less than half could name all three branches of government.

In 2023, the Montana Board of Public Education and the Montana Legislature noted the importance of civic education, according to the center.

According to the Mansfield Center’s grant application, the program would provide a “critical public benefit by creating wide-ranging, patriotic education and outreach strategies from that are essential to national security. These programs reinforce the importance of freedom and civic engagement.”

The grant funding would allow programing to be available to more than 20,000 students and 300 educators from middle school through graduate school, according to the center’s grant application.

The program leaders are also providing public engagement statewise, including communities with significant military presence.

According to UM, the center’s program that received the DOD funding aligns with two of President Trump’s recent executive orders:

• unifying and inspiring patriotic education in alignment with the President’s executive order on K-12 schooling
• honoring American history through the executive order on celebrating America’s 250th birthday

As part of the grant funded program, according to its grant application, the center is preparing to launch activities for the 250th birthday of the United States in 2026 with:

• middle and high school: activities will support educators and students by offering opportunities for youth to develop knowledge and understanding of government and democracy, maximizing success by weaving activities into existing curriculum standards
• higher education civic knowledge initiative: as reinforced by such surveys as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, multiple organizations have emphasized the need for institutions of higher education to directly address the shortcomings in civic education. The UM-based programming will support institutions regionally with a comprehensive program. Elements include coursework, student research and internship grants; faculty course development and research grants; and the hiring of a visiting post-doctorate fellow to produce research, deliver public lectures, and teach.
• community engagement: programming in communities will bring citizens of all ages together in dialogue and action plan development for tangible, individualized approaches to develop civil discourse. Sessions will be designed to meet the needs of each place by community partners in business, non-profit, education, and government sectors.