A 28-year-old DOGE bro with zero experience in research, or peer review just admitted under oath that he canceled over $100 million in federal research funding because some projects mentioned the word "LGBTQ." He didn't even read a single book first.

Nathan Cavanaugh, a former startup bro turned DOGE operative, testified in a January deposition that he and a colleague from the investment banking world personally reviewed hundreds of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

They created lists labeled "Craziest Grants" and "Other Bad Grants" and used ChatGPT to scan project descriptions for keywords like "gay," "BIPOC," "indigenous," and "tribal."

When asked why a program examining the experiences of LGBTQ military veterans was flagged for cancellation, Cavanaugh's entire explanation was: "Because it explicitly says LGBTQ." A project mentioning "feminist and queer insights" got axed for the same reason. Not fraud. Not waste. Just words that made them uncomfortable.

When the attorney asked what qualified him to make these decisions, Cavanaugh said a person could have "enough judgment from reading books." When asked which books, he admitted there were none.

Among the casualties: a documentary about Jewish women's slave labor during the Holocaust, an archival project on Italian American history, efforts to preserve endangered Native American languages, and a museum that needed a new HVAC system.

The entire process resulted in the termination of 97% of the agency's grants. DOGE staffers pressured the NEH to move faster, with one writing: "We're getting pressure from the top on this and we'd prefer that you remain on our side."

Cavanaugh also insisted the cuts were about reducing the deficit. When asked if they actually reduced the deficit, he admitted they did not.

No expertise. No books. No deficit reduction. Just a couple of guys in their twenties and a grudge against the word "queer," destroying careers and erasing history.

This is what "government efficiency" looks like.