The Trump administration is cutting off $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, claiming it has failed to take steps to confront antisemitism on campus after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel,
The Free Press has learned.
The cuts represent the federal government’s first round of grant cancellations for Columbia, according to the administration’s newly formed antisemitism
task force, which is leading the effort. Columbia has over $5 billion in active federal grants
that are being reviewed by the government.
Leo Terrell, the head of the DOJ’s antisemitism task force, said the funding cuts are “only the beginning.”
“Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus.”
In a statement to
The Free Press, Columbia said: “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.”
The Departments of Education and Health and Human Services plan to immediately issue stop-work orders on grants to the school, the task force said. The task force provided no specifics to
The Free Press on the programs affected.
