The US Department of Defense will cut 5.1 billion dollars in unnecessary expenses, including scholarships to two prestigious US universities, the US Secretary of Defense has declared.

"We are signing a memorandum right now ordering the termination of $5.1 billion in Department of Defense contracts," said Pete Hegseth in a video posted on the social network X on Thursday.

The announcement is part of a huge program of federal budget cuts carried out by Elon Musk, with the approval of US President Donald Trump, as part of his Commission on Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Among the expenses are 500 million dollars in subsidies for Northwestern University and Cornell University, described as "academic institutions that tolerate anti-Semitism and support 'DEI' (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs that promote divisiveness".

Cornell University's regulatory body said in a statement on Tuesday that it has received 75 orders to shut down work by the Department of Defense related to investigations that are "profoundly important to the national defense, cybersecurity and health of the United States."