Trump escalates federal funding crackdown on Columbia College over antisemitism allegations
President Donald Trump has intensified his marketing campaign to withhold federal funding from universities accused of failing to fight antisemitism, with Columbia College rising as the primary main goal. Federal companies introduced a sweeping overview of the Ivy League establishment’s eligibility for over $5 billion in grants and contracts, citing issues over its dealing with of campus protests and alleged discrimination towards Jewish college students.
The Departments of Training and Well being and Human Providers, together with the Normal Providers Administration, confirmed on Monday that they’re contemplating halting $51 million in federal contracts with Columbia. The transfer follows Trump’s current directive ordering companies to wield “all obtainable and acceptable authorized instruments” to deal with campus antisemitism, together with the removing of overseas college students and employees deemed safety dangers.
Trump’s hardline stance on-campus protests
In a fiery social media put up on Tuesday, Trump escalated his rhetoric, declaring that every one federal funding can be lower from faculties that let “unlawful protests.” He additional vowed to imprison or deport “agitators” concerned in campus demonstrations, underscoring his administration’s dedication to implementing its crackdown.
Training Secretary Linda McMahon, who was confirmed by the Senate simply final week, echoed the administration’s place, asserting that Columbia had failed in its responsibility to guard Jewish college students. “The establishment’s inaction raises very critical questions on its health to proceed receiving federal funding,” McMahon said in an official announcement.
Columbia College, in response, insisted it stays dedicated to combating antisemitism and discrimination. “We’re resolute that calling for, selling, or glorifying violence or terror has no place at our college,” the college mentioned in a press release, including that it intends to cooperate with federal authorities.
Federal scrutiny extends past Columbia
Columbia is certainly one of 5 universities not too long ago positioned beneath investigation for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based mostly on race or nationwide origin. Different establishments dealing with federal scrutiny embody the College of California, Berkeley; the College of Minnesota; Northwestern College; and Portland State College.
Whereas faculties discovered responsible of violating federal civil rights legal guidelines can face extreme penalties, together with complete revocation of federal funding, such an end result has been uncommon in previous circumstances. Nonetheless, Trump’s administration has signaled a willingness to implement extra drastic measures.
A campus in turmoil
Columbia has been a flashpoint for student-led protests over the Israel-Hamas struggle. Demonstrations erupted final spring when pro-Palestinian activists staged sit-ins, arrange encampments, and occupied a campus constructing, resulting in dozens of arrests. Extra not too long ago, pro-Palestinian protesters reportedly compelled entry right into a constructing at Columbia’s Barnard School, allegedly assaulting an worker earlier than dispersing after college officers issued warnings of disciplinary motion.
These tensions contributed to the resignation of Columbia’s former president, Minouche Shafik, final yr. Shafik was amongst a gaggle of college leaders known as earlier than Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the place she confronted sharp criticism over her dealing with of campus unrest. The hearings additionally performed a task within the resignations of the presidents of Harvard College and the College of Pennsylvania.
Republican stress mounts
The federal crackdown on Columbia comes amid broader Republican efforts to carry universities accountable for antisemitic incidents. A December report spearheaded by Home Speaker Mike Johnson concluded that many US faculties had didn’t curb antisemitism, highlighting circumstances at Columbia, Harvard, and UCLA.
The report urged the chief department to aggressively implement civil rights legal guidelines and lower funding to establishments deemed “unfit stewards of taxpayer {dollars}.” It additionally accused universities of fostering an surroundings of hostility in the direction of Jewish college students, an allegation that has been central to the Trump administration’s justification for its sweeping funding critiques.
A battle over tutorial freedom and federal authority
Critics warn that Trump’s aggressive intervention threatens tutorial freedom and will set a harmful precedent for federal overreach in larger schooling. Columbia professor Joseph Howley, an outspoken supporter of pro-Palestinian protesters, accused the administration of utilizing antisemitism as a pretext for ideological suppression. Related Press reported him saying “It’s no secret that the MAGA-Trump motion hates universities and desires to dismantle them. They’re coming for our funding both manner.”
The Training Division, beneath President Joe Biden, had already launched over 100 investigations into antisemitism and Islamophobia on school campuses following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, assault on Israel. Some colleges rushed to achieve settlements earlier than Biden left workplace, however Republican lawmakers have since criticized these agreements as insufficiently punitive.
As Trump’s crackdown unfolds, universities throughout the nation now face mounting stress to adjust to federal directives—or threat dropping billions in funding. With Columbia standing on the middle of this battle, the result may set a precedent for the federal authorities’s position in shaping campus insurance policies nationwide.
