As part of a crackdown on antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric, the President Donald Trump administration on Friday cancelled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University, citing the institution’s failure to protect Jewish students against harassment in the aftermath of pro-Palestine demonstrations that spread across multiple campuses in the U.S. last year.
“Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Education (ED), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the immediate cancellation of approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students,” four government agencies said in a joint statement.
Columbia University has been subject to heavy criticism from people on the right wing and pro-Israel voices after protests broke out at the institution last year over the ongoing war in Gaza. The demonstrations set off a chain of days-long protests across other universities in the United States, with some schools needing to call law enforcement to remove demonstrators’ encampments on campuses.
The Trump administration has now decided to cut off $400 million from the university’s federal funding, with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon saying that “Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses – only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them.”
The statement noted that the cancellation represents the first round of action, adding that another set of cancellations is expected soon as a task force is currently reviewing and coordinating across federal agencies to identify more cancellations that could be made swiftly.
“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. Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer,” Ms McMahon added.
