BREAKING: TRUMP PULLS FEDERAL FUNDING FOR RADICAL UNIVERSITY
THE DETAILS …
On March 7, 2025, the Trump administration announced the termination of $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, citing the institution’s alleged failure to address antisemitism amid a wave of anti-Israel protests on its campus. These protests, which escalated following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, included high-profile incidents such as the occupation of Hamilton Hall and disruptions of classes, notably a January 2025 incident where masked students stormed a “History of Modern Israel” course, distributing antisemitic flyers. The administration’s decision, detailed in a statement from the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration, targets $51 million in existing contracts and places over $5 billion in grants under review, signaling a broader crackdown on universities perceived as tolerating such demonstrations.
The move follows Trump’s public pledge on Truth Social to halt federal funding for any educational institution allowing “illegal protests,” a stance he reiterated amid ongoing tensions at Columbia and its affiliate, Barnard College. Last week’s protests at Barnard saw over 50 anti-Israel students occupy a building and assault an employee, prompting arrests and further fueling the narrative of unchecked campus unrest. Critics, including Jewish advocacy groups like StopAntisemitism, have long accused Columbia of insufficient action against such incidents, pointing to a pattern of disruptions—encampments, building takeovers, and verbal harassment—that they argue create a hostile environment for Jewish students, a concern echoed by Columbia’s Jewish Alumni Association co-founder Ari Shrage.
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Columbia University has responded by asserting its commitment to combating antisemitism and discrimination, denying that it condones violence or terror. However, the administration’s action aligns with Trump’s broader policy of leveraging federal resources to address perceived antisemitism, a strategy that includes threats to deport foreign student “agitators” and a task force led by Leo Terrell to investigate campus climates. As protests have subsided but not ceased since their peak in 2024, this funding cut—announced just days after a comprehensive review was launched—marks Columbia as the first major target in a campaign that could reshape federal support for higher education, raising questions about free expression, institutional autonomy, and the balance of safety and dissent on American campuses.