The Trump administration announced on Friday that it had canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University because of what it described as the school’s failure to protect Jewish students from harassment.
The announcement escalated the administration’s targeting of Columbia, where protests last year over the war in Gaza set off a nationwide debate over free speech, campus policing and antisemitism, and led to similar demonstrations at schools nationwide.
On Monday, Linda McMahon, the secretary of education, warned that Columbia would face the loss of federal funding if it did not take additional action to combat antisemitism on campus.
A statement issued by four federal agencies on Friday announcing the funding cuts referred to ongoing protests and antisemitic harassment at Columbia, though to what extent pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus can be considered antisemitic remains in dispute.
The departments of justice, education, and health and human services, along with the General Services Administration, issued the statement. While the statement did not indicate what grants would be terminated, it said that the Health and Human Services and Education Departments would assist in issuing stop-work orders to immediately freeze the university’s access to some funds.
The statement said that the cancellations represented the “first round of action” and that additional cancellations were expected to follow. Columbia currently holds more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments, the statement said.
The school also faces three federal investigations into allegations of antisemitism on campus that have been announced over the past several weeks.
“Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding” Ms. McMahon said. “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.”
A Columbia spokeswoman said the university was reviewing the announcement and that it pledged to work with the federal government to restore the 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 well-being of our students, faculty and staff,” the spokeswoman said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.