USA
Trump government pulls $400 million from Columbia University over ‘harassment of Jews’
One official said the move was ‘only the beginning’ of the federal government’s response to campus antisemitism
March 9, 2025 11:19
One official said the move was ‘only the beginning’ of the federal government’s response to campus antisemitism
March 9, 2025 11:19The US government has announced the immediate cancellation of roughly $400 million (£310m) in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University due to the school’s "continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students”.
The joint decision by four federal agencies on Friday marks the first round of action in the government’s recently announced approach to tackling antisemitism at universities, with additional cancellations expected to follow.
“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,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in Friday’s statement.
“Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination 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.”
According to Columbia University’s financial overview for fiscal year 2024, it received $1.3 billion in government grants.
Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights and head of the DOJ Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, said freezing funds is "only the beginning” of the federal government’s plans to respond to the spike in antisemitism.
“Cancelling these taxpayer funds is our strongest signal yet that the Federal Government is not going to be party to an educational institution like Columbia that does not protect Jewish students and staff,” Terrell said.
Columbia University was home to a spate of anti-Israel protests last year, when college students across the country set up encampments on university property to demand the cessation of US support for Israel, and the university’s administration has since been under scrutiny for its responseto both the demonstrations and allegations of antisemitism on campus.
According to the New York Times, a campus-wide email sent out by Columbia interim president Katrina Armstrong on Friday described a "time of great risk to our university” with regard to the government’s decision to freeze federal funds.
"There is no question that the cancellation of these funds will immediately impact research and other critical functions of the University, impacting students, faculty, staff, research, and patient care," Armstrong wrote.
Columbia said the school was reviewing the announcement and would work with the government to reinstate the federal funding: “We take Columbia’s legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combating antisemitism and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty and staff."
The Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced in late February that it would visit 10 university campuses that have experienced antisemitic incidents since October 2023 as part of its purge of the country’s education system. The visits would determine whether further action would be warranted “to eradicate antisemitic harassment in schools and on college campuses,” according to the federal government statement.
Along with Columbia and Harvard, also on the list are George Washington University; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern University; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.
“Doing business with the Federal Government is a privilege,” said Josh Gruenbaum, FAS Commissioner and Task Force member, in Friday’s statement. “Columbia University, through their continued and shameful inaction to stop radical protestors from taking over buildings on campus and lack of response to the safety issues for Jewish students, and for that matter — all students — are not upholding the ideals of this Administration or the American people. Columbia cannot expect to retain the privilege of receiving federal taxpayer dollars if they will not fulfil their civil rights responsibilities to protect Jewish students from harassment and antisemitism.”