Donald Trump has slashed all $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University over its handling of anti-Israel campus protests last year.
The president launched the dramatic move ‘due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students,’ his administration said.
It represents only a first round of canceled funds and additional cuts are expected.
Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon said: ‘Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses – only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them.
‘Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding.’
The announcement coincided with recent anti-Israel campus protests at Barnard College, which Trump aggressively condemned.
‘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!’ he stated on social media.
A group of over 50 students stormed and occupied a campus building and assaulted and injured a staff member at Barnard on Wednesday, sending them to hospital.
President Donald Trump speaking on Friday, March 7. His administration announced it’s canceling $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia University
Trump officials said the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism will continue to review and coordinate with other federal agencies to move swiftly.
That group is made up of officials at the Justice Department, Education Department, Department of Heath and Human Services and U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
Columbia, located in New York City, ‘abandoned (their) obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus,’ officials said.
According to the administration, the task force notified the acting president of Columbia University on Monday that it would conduct a comprehensive review of the school’s federal contracts and grants in light of an ongoing civil rights investigation.
It said Columbia has not responded to the task force.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for the university said they are reviewing the announcement and ‘pledge 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 combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff,’ it read.
Pro-Palestinian protesters near the main gate at Columbia University on April 30, 2024
Pro-Palestinian protesters gather on campus at Columbia University on October 7, 2024 to mark one year since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7
‘Freezing the funds is one of the tools we are using to respond to this spike in anti-Semitism. This is only the beginning,’ vowed Leo Terrell, head of the DOJ Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism in a statement.
The Trump administration said GSA will work with HHS and the Education Department to issue stop-work orders on the grants and contracts that Columbia has with the agencies.
It would immediately freeze the university’s access to the money.
Meanwhile, Marco Rubio is directing the State Department to conduct a review of foreign students who express support for Hamas using a new process.
The State Department is planning to review foreign student visa holders’ social media accounts with artificial intelligence (AI) to determine if these pupils have displayed sympathy for Hamas.
Officials from the department disclosed the new program to Axios, revealing that the ‘Catch and Revoke’ plan is hunting for students who have been supportive of the group following their October 7, 2023 surprise attack on Israel.
Marco Rubio is directing the State Department to conduct a review of foreign students who express support for Hamas using a new process
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Trump to STOP all federal funding going to schools allowing 'illegal' pro-Hamas protests
Since the horrific attack, anti-Israel protests have sprung up across the nation, including most recently at Columbia University and Barnard College in Manhattan—a university hotbed of pro-Gaza activism.
State Department officials also shared that they will soon review foreign student visa holders who were arrested though allowed to stay in the country.
This AI-enabled review will also look for clues in news articles about the protests which have been on and off for the past year and a half.
Already officials have reviewed 100,000 individuals in the Student Exchange Visitor System.
‘We found literally zero visa revocations during the Biden administration,’ one official told the outlet.