President Donald Trump has kept his promise to the Jewish community: his administration announced Friday that it is cutting some $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University in response to persistent antisemitism against its Jewish student population.
“The immediate cancellation of approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students,” the US General Services Administration announced.
“Since October 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,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
“Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding. 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,” McMahon said.
Pro-terror demonstrations that target Jewish students have continued at the New York City-based university and its affiliate, Barnard College, despite multiple White House warnings that funding would cease for educational institutions that do not end “illegal” protests.
The multi-agency Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced earlier this week (March 5) that the Justice Department had opened a ‘civil pattern or practice’ investigation into the University of California (UC) under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“The investigation will assess whether UC has engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin against its professors, staff and other employees by allowing an Antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses,” the task force announcement said.
“Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, there has been an outbreak of antisemitic incidents at leading institutions of higher education in America, including at my own alma mater at the UCLA campus of UC,” noted Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell.
“The impact upon UC’s students has been the subject of considerable media attention and multiple federal investigations. But these campuses are also workplaces, and the Jewish faculty and staff employed there deserve a working environment free of antisemitic hostility and hate. The President, the Attorney General and this Task Force are committed to combatting antisemitism for all Jewish Americans.”
The task force was formed two weeks after Trump’s return to the Oval Office, with the DOJ warning in its announcement that the task force’s first priority would be to “root out antisemitic harassment in schools and on college campuses.”
The multi-agency task force includes representatives from the Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, and is being coordinated through the DOJ’s civil rights division.
