WASHINGTON, D.C.—In what officials are calling “a crime against population studies,” a multimillion-dollar federal grant allocated for studying walrus behavior mysteriously vanished after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) deemed it wasteful spending.
According to sources inside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a $4.2 million research fund on Arctic walruses was set to cease immediately.
“We launched one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on walrus mating patterns and social structures,” said NOAA researcher Dr. Caroline Mendelson. “Now, instead of analyzing real-time behavioral data, I’m staring at an empty budget report with the memo line: ‘WOW. Such Science. Much Gone.’”
Despite its removal, some members of Congress have defended against the DOGE cut, calling it a “bold investment” that would help shape the future of the country.