The statement said the funding pullback was "the first round of action" and that "additional cancellations are expected to follow." According to the federal government, Columbia University currently holds more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments, indicating that further financial repercussions could be imminent.
Columbia University said in a statement that “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 well-being of our students, faculty and staff.”
This decision follows a series of attacks by Trump on higher education, including an executive order signed in January on combating antisemitism, focusing on "leftist" universities, and a recent threat made on Truth Social that federal funding will "STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests" (although what constitutes "illegal" was not specified, and the right to protest is a First Amendment protection). At least nine other universities -- including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, and UC Berkeley -- are also under investigation by the Department of Justice for antisemitism.
Just one day later, Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University's pro-Palestinian protests last year, was arrested and detained over the weekend for protests that Trump claimed supported Hamas. Khalil, a permanent US resident with a green card, was taken into custody from his university-owned apartment building by ICE and flown to an immigration jail in Louisiana, where his green card may be revoked. He is the first person known to be detained for deportation under Trump's promised crackdown. "We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity," Trump stated on a social media post. "We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country -- never to return again."
Civil rights groups and free speech advocates have condemned the administration's actions, warning that they threaten academic freedom and could have a chilling effect on protected speech.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/nyregion/trump-administration-columbia-grants-cancelled-antisemitism.html
https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-protests-antisemitism-palestine-israel-9c209ce040e4b60d2702b40b9c2fb321
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/us/columbia-trump-colleges-antisemitism.html
https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-mahmoud-khalil-ice-6964107d218dba43eb995d6dbbe528b1
https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/doj-hhs-ed-and-gsa-announce-initial-cancelation-of-grants-and-contracts-columbia-university-worth-400-million
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-authorities-arrest-palestinian-student-protester-columbia-university-students-2025-03-09/
5 comments:
I think this is a really bad sign of where the Trump administration is taking our country. Freedom of speech is one of the founding principles of the United States, and all of these students, and particularly Khalil, are being punished for exercising their first amendment rights. Trump is not only trying to disregard parts of the first amendment, but Khalil was a completely legal person in the US and Trump is ignoring how green cards and immigration is supposed to work, simply because he doesn't like how they are acting. And while I understand that supporters of terrorists are not ok, I don't think a majority of the protesters at these universities pose any threat. They are simply a bunch of students trying to express their view.
Additionally, the government's withdraw of funding from the school is going to negatively impact the education of every single student that goes there. Columbia relies on that money not only to fund programs on campus, but some of it is probably also used to provide scholarships and financial aid to students. So while antisemitism is a big deal and all students should feel safe on their college campuses, the Trump administrations actions are not the way to go about accomplishing this.
Trump’s decision to cut $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University under the guise of combating antisemitism raises serious concerns about free speech and the right to protest. While addressing antisemitism is crucial, equating pro-Palestinian demonstrations with hate speech is ignorant and undermines the First Amendment. Protest and political expression are core democratic rights, and silencing dissent through financial penalties sets a dangerous precedent. The withdrawal of funding from higher education threatens academic freedom and could discourage critical discourse on international conflicts. The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident with a green card, marks a troubling escalation in the government's actions against individuals expressing dissenting political views. The Trump administration risks suppressing lawful activism and violating constitutional protections, while hindering legitimate discourse on complex geopolitical issues.
I agree with Camille, in that some of the funding is most likely going to supplement scholarships and financial aid. If not directly funding student's educations, it would also be used to pay for other things such as research or wages that could then be used to help with financial aid. I think that this, like many other things that the Trump administration is implementing, will raise costs for many people, hurting the working class the most. As college tuitions are already at an all time high, its insane that they will likely continue to increase, especially at a time when the economy is very unstable.
In addition, being Jewish myself, I still empathize with the Palestinian protesters. I understand that if I was in their position, I would be enraged at the violence occurring in Gaza. It's horrible that their voices are being silenced, and it does set a dangerous precedent for first amendment rights being violated. It will also be interesting to see how Trump responds to the recent court rulings, esspecially those concerning constitutional amendments, and whether or not he respects the court.
This is a disappointing act by Columbia University, as esteemed as it is. They pride themselves on being progressive and protecting the best interests of their students but recent events have only shown otherwise. They would go so far as to rescind degrees of soon-to-be Columbia graduates to suck up to the Trump administration. Peaceful protest is a fundamental right by the Constitution, and now Mahmoud Khalil is arrested for exercising this right, detained from seeing his pregnant wife.
I hope that other colleges being investigated do not take the same route as Columbia. ICE should not be let in classrooms or university dorms at all. Trump's zionist agenda cannot be furthered with these great academic institutions whom carry the next leaders of this world.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil by the Trump administration is extremely worrying for implications of free speech and the potential of ex post facto arrests/deportations, which is something explicitly banned in the Constitution alongside the promise of the 1st Amendment. Especially considering Khalil's promise legal protections, and the Trump administration's attempts at bringing back temporary, outdated wartime laws to support their regime. This demonstrates how Trump's legal team is willing to go to ridiculous extents just to prove their point that any political speech that goes against the current administration's beliefs or policies is at risk. This threatens the entire foundation of the country, which was created on the premise of protest and freedom. Once people are afraid of speaking out, the Trump administration will be free to continue to act more and more egregiously until America stops being a democracy at all, with people's legal rights being completely wiped out. Even if representatives who support free speech are restored to power, people may continue to be fearful for a long time of future administrations that could arrest them for previous statements and actions, endangering free speech.
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