The Trump administration moved Friday to cancel $400 million in grants to and federal contracts with Columbia University, citing antisemitic incidents on campus.
The Trump administration moved Friday to cancel $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, citing „the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.“
„Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and antisemitic harassment on their campuses – only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them“, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said. „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.“
„We are reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies and pledge to work with the federal government to restore Columbia’s federal 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 wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff“, a Columbia University spokesperson said.
„President Armstrong and the Columbia Board of Trustees must understand that their continued inaction on support for terror and antisemitism on campus have serious consequences. While initial steps have been taken to address these issues, they are broadly insufficient. This move by the federal government hurts all of us, including numerous Jewish graduate students and workers at Columbia who are supported by federal funding.
