Photo: Alamy
The Trump administration has halted over $1 billion in federal funding to Cornell and $790 million to Northwestern as part of civil rights investigations into the universities, according to a Tuesday report by The New York Times.
Both investigations focus on allegations of antisemitic activity or failure to protect Jewish students and are under evaluation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
“We are actively seeking information from federal officials to learn more about the basis for these decisions,” said the joint statement from Michael Kotlikoff, the university president; Kavita Bala, the provost; and Robert Harrington, provost for medical affairs, according to the report by The Times.
The move follows a pause in federal funding to Princeton, Columbia, Harvard and Penn, with approximately 60 universities receiving letters over concerns about the safety of Jewish students.
The actions also follow a statement by President Donald Trump on Truth Social last month saying that he would stop funding for colleges allowing illegal protests.
“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. 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,” Trump wrote.
The post came after the Trump administration warned that it could stop $51 million in contracts with Columbia University in New York over protests that harassed Jewish students.
“Anti-Semitism – like racism – is a spiritual and moral malady that sickens societies and kills people with lethalities comparable to history’s most deadly plagues,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
“Unlawful encampments and demonstrations have completely paralyzed day-to-day campus operations, depriving Jewish students of learning opportunities to which they are entitled,” new Secretary of Education Linda McMahon added.
The controversy comes following Trump’s executive order in January to address antisemitism on college campuses.
“Institutions that receive federal funds have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the statement announcing the review. “Columbia’s apparent failure to uphold their end of this basic agreement raises very serious questions about the institution’s fitness to continue doing business with the United States government,” the order stated.