The Trump administration announced on Friday that it canceled about $400 million worth of contracts with and grants to Columbia University, citing what it said is the public school’s inaction in the face of Jew-hatred on campus.
The U.S. Departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services and the U.S. General Services Administration stated that Columbia didn’t responded to a March 3 notification from the federal Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.
The task force told Columbia’s acting president that “it would conduct a comprehensive review of the university’s federal contracts and grants in light of ongoing investigations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.”
“Chaos and antisemitic harassment have continued on and near campus in the days since,” the U.S. agencies stated, noting that the university’s holds $5 billion worth of federal grant commitments.
“These cancellations represent the first round of action and additional cancellations are expected to follow,” the agencies said.
“Since Oct. 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and antisemitic harassment on their campuses—only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them,” stated Linda McMahon, the U.S. education secretary.
“Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding,” McMahon said. “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.”
A Columbia spokeswoman told JNS that the university is “reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies” and pledges “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 combating antisemitism and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty and staff,” the spokeswoman told JNS.
Brian Cohen, executive director of Columbia Barnard Hillel, told JNS that “Columbia has an antisemitism crisis and for months, I have worked with faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni to urge the administration to act quickly to address this crisis and avoid lasting damage to the university.”
“I hope this federal action is a wake-up call to Columbia’s administration and trustees to take antisemitism and the harassment of Jewish students and faculty seriously, so that these grants can be restored, the vital work of the university can continue and that Columbia can become, once again, a place where the Jewish community thrives,” Cohen said.
Jonathan Harounoff, international spokesman for the Israeli mission to the United Nations and a Columbia Journalism School alumnus, told JNS that “for too long, Jewish and Israeli students have been intimidated in class and on campus by students, faculty and outside agitators.”
“College campuses should be places of intellectual growth, networking and collaboration, not harbingers of hate,” he said. “Demanding that college administrators protect Jewish and Israeli students shouldn’t be too much to ask.”
Leo Terrell, special counsel to the assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights and head of the Justice Department’s task force to combat Jew-hatred, stated that “freezing the funds is one of the tools we are using to respond to this spike in antisemitism.”
“This is only the beginning,” Terrell said. “Canceling these taxpayer funds is our strongest signal yet that the federal government is not going to be party to an educational institution like Columbia that does not protect Jewish students and staff.”
“Columbia University’s complacency is unacceptable,” stated Sean Keveney, acting general counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Antisemitism is clearly inconsistent with the fundamental values that should inform liberal education.”
Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service and a part of the task force, stated that “doing business with the federal government is a privilege.”
“Columbia University, through their continued and shameful inaction to stop radical protesters from taking over buildings on campus and lack of response to the safety issues for Jewish students, and for that matter—all students—are not upholding the ideals of this administration or the American people,” Gruenbaum said.
“Columbia cannot expect to retain the privilege of receiving federal taxpayer dollars if they will not fulfill their civil rights responsibilities to protect Jewish students from harassment and antisemitism,” he added.
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, stated that U.S. President Donald Trump had “made good” on his promise to revoke federal funding for colleges and universities that fail to combat Jew-hatred.
“Schools like Columbia have tolerated horrific, antisemitic behavior on campus openly calling for the murder of Jews—all while continuing to haul in hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars,” Walberg stated.
“Americans do not want their money sent to institutions that serve as breeding grounds for hatred and support for terrorism,” he added. “Committee Republicans stand with President Trump in his effort to protect Jewish students and root out antisemitism.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) stated that “Columbia let antisemitism run amok to cater to lunatic fringe and paid provocateurs.”
“Leadership allowed those assholes to take over the campus and terrorize Jewish students,” Fetterman said. “Now, Columbia pays for its failure and I support that.”