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The Trump administration has frozen $584 million in federal funding to the University of California, Los Angeles, nearly doubling earlier estimates, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said Wednesday.
UCLA becomes the first public university to face this level of financial penalty under a broader crackdown on schools accused of violating civil rights protections through antisemitism and affirmative action policies. Federal grants to private universities have also been paused under similar claims.
“If these funds remain suspended, it will be devastating for UCLA and for Americans across the nation,” Frenk said in a statement. He noted that key scientific research could be affected across programs funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Energy.
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division recently concluded that UCLA violated both the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by “acting with deliberate indifference” toward Jewish and Israeli students.
The findings follow a $6 million settlement reached by UCLA with three Jewish students and a professor who alleged the university failed to intervene when pro-Palestinian protesters blocked their access to campus facilities during 2024 protests.
As part of the settlement, UCLA will dedicate $2.3 million to organizations that combat antisemitism and has opened a new Office of Campus and Community Safety.
UC President James B. Milliken criticized the funding cuts, warning they would severely impact research tied to national security and economic development. “These cuts do nothing to address antisemitism,” Milliken said, while affirming that UC has taken meaningful steps to combat discrimination.
The Trump administration is reportedly using a similar enforcement model implemented in a recent $200 million settlement with Columbia University.
Harvard University is also reportedly negotiating with the Trump administration over a potential $500 million settlement to resolve allegations related to campus antisemitism and civil rights violations, according to a report published last month by The New York Times.
“The Trump administration’s proposition is simple and commonsense: Don’t allow antisemitism and DEI to run your campus, don’t break the law, and protect the civil liberties of all students,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in July.