Trump Admin Cancels $400M in Federal Funding for Columbia University, Citing Antisemitism
The Trump administration has announced the cancellation of $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University, citing the school’s insufficient efforts to address antisemitism on campus. Multiple federal agencies made the announcement on Friday, stating that grants and contracts would be revoked due to the university’s handling of the issue.
Five days ago, federal agencies revealed they were considering halting $51 million in contracts with the New York City institution and reassessing its eligibility for more than $5 billion in future federal funding.
The decision follows Columbia’s recent steps to establish a new disciplinary committee and increase investigations into students who have been critical of Israel. Despite these actions, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that the university has “abandoned” its responsibility to protect Jewish students.
“Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding. For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus,” McMahon said in a statement on Friday.
Columbia is pledging to cooperate with the government in an effort to restore the lost funding.
“We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff,” the university said in a statement.
It’s unclear which specific research projects or programs at Columbia will be impacted by the funding cuts. The university said it is reviewing the decision. The Education Department, along with the Health and Justice Departments and the General Services Administration, issued the announcement, but further details were not available at the time of publication.
Columbia is the first university targeted in President Trump’s broader initiative to crack down on colleges accused of allowing antisemitism to take root in the wake of the gruesome Hamas massacre and kidnappings of Israelis on October 7, 2023.
As CBN News reported last springprotests at Columbia became a prominent example of the blatant antisemitic rage that took place on numerous campuses. In April, pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment on campus, inspiring similar actions at universities across the country. Later, protesters occupied a campus building, leading to a police intervention and multiple arrests.
More recently, a smaller group of demonstrators staged sit-ins at Columbia-affiliated Barnard College to oppose the expulsion of two students accused of disrupting an Israeli history class. Several students were arrested after occupying a building for several hours on Wednesday.
Columbia has acknowledged concerns about antisemitism on campus. A university task force admitted last summer that Jewish and Israeli students had been excluded from student organizations, mistreated in classrooms, and subjected to verbal harassment during the spring protests.
Columbia is one of five universities currently facing new federal investigations into antisemitism and among 10 institutions being visited by a task force assessing allegations that colleges have failed to protect Jewish students. Other schools under investigation include the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Minnesota; Northwestern University; and Portland State University.
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