Four federal agencies warned that it’s the ‘first round of action’ against the Ivy League school.
The Trump administration on Friday announced it has canceled grants worth roughly $400 million for Columbia University, alleging the Ivy League school has not acted on allegations of anti-Semitism on campus amid student protests since the 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel.
The move was announced in a joint statement released by the Department of Justice, Department of Education, General Services Administration, and Department of Health and Human Services, which are part of the Trump administration’s “Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism.”
Contracts and federal grants worth $400 million were immediately canceled with the announcement, the agencies said, adding that it is “the first round of action and additional cancellations are expected to follow.” The school holds about $5 billion in federal grant commitments, they noted.
“Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses–only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement, referring to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel that left 1,200 civilians dead.
“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,” she added.
After the Hamas attacks and a counter-offensive that was initiated by the Israeli military in Gaza, protests erupted at U.S. colleges, including Columbia’s New York City campuses. Last spring, protesters camped out on campus and at one point, took over a building.
In recent days, students occupied multiple buildings at Barnard College, an affiliate of Columbia University, to protest the expulsion of two students accused of disrupting an Israeli history class. Several students were arrested following an hours-long takeover of a building Wednesday night.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump issued a statement on Truth Social warning that colleges that allow “illegal protests” could risk losing federal funding, although he provided few other details. He also said that foreign students who engaged in such activities could face deportation.
“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump wrote. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on … the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
