A $400M sanction imposed on Columbia University by the Trump administration
The administration noted that Columbia's grants were examined due to the "school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students."
TroibNews 
Columbia University is facing a significant loss of grants and contracts amounting to approximately $400 million due to its inadequate response to antisemitism, as noted by a task force from the Trump administration on Friday.
The Justice Department's task force, which is led by Leo Terrell, has been scrutinizing 10 institutions in response to their handling of antisemitic incidents on campuses following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Columbia, which has recently come under fire for its students’ prominent antiwar protests and building occupations last spring, is the first university to have its grants and contracts halted.
“Freezing the funds is one of the tools we are using to respond to this spike in antisemitism. This is only the beginning,” Terrell, who also serves as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, stated. He added, “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.”
The grants in question come from various federal agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Education, as well as the General Services Administration. The administration clarified that Columbia’s funding was under examination due to the “school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
The task force indicated that additional contract or grant cancellations might occur as it investigates further potential violations. Columbia University has over $5 billion in federal grant commitments. The GSA will aid HHS and ED in issuing stop-work orders to promptly freeze access to these funds.
In response, a spokesperson for Columbia University stated, “We are reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies 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 well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.”
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Terrell criticized Columbia's actions. "The only reason why they want to come to the table [is] because President Trump and Pam Bondi are being very, very forceful," he remarked. He also warned that other universities should be cautious. “I am going to visit 13 schools with an army of lawyers, army of FBI agents, army of individuals from HHS, Education Department, with Linda McMahon and the Department of Justice telling these universities, clean up your act now, immediately,” he stated. “And if we have to get injunctive relief, court orders, we're going to do it.”
The task force is also investigating several other institutions, including George Washington University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Northwestern University, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Southern California. So far, only 10 schools have been identified.
The task force informed Columbia on March 3 that it would conduct a thorough review of the university’s federal contracts and grants to determine whether it had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
All educational institutions that receive federal funds must adhere to Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics, or national origin. Noncompliance with this law could put schools at risk of losing federal funding.
“Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding,” stated Education Secretary Linda McMahon. “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.”
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
The Justice Department's task force, which is led by Leo Terrell, has been scrutinizing 10 institutions in response to their handling of antisemitic incidents on campuses following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Columbia, which has recently come under fire for its students’ prominent antiwar protests and building occupations last spring, is the first university to have its grants and contracts halted.
“Freezing the funds is one of the tools we are using to respond to this spike in antisemitism. This is only the beginning,” Terrell, who also serves as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, stated. He added, “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.”
The grants in question come from various federal agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Education, as well as the General Services Administration. The administration clarified that Columbia’s funding was under examination due to the “school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
The task force indicated that additional contract or grant cancellations might occur as it investigates further potential violations. Columbia University has over $5 billion in federal grant commitments. The GSA will aid HHS and ED in issuing stop-work orders to promptly freeze access to these funds.
In response, a spokesperson for Columbia University stated, “We are reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies 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 well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.”
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Terrell criticized Columbia's actions. "The only reason why they want to come to the table [is] because President Trump and Pam Bondi are being very, very forceful," he remarked. He also warned that other universities should be cautious. “I am going to visit 13 schools with an army of lawyers, army of FBI agents, army of individuals from HHS, Education Department, with Linda McMahon and the Department of Justice telling these universities, clean up your act now, immediately,” he stated. “And if we have to get injunctive relief, court orders, we're going to do it.”
The task force is also investigating several other institutions, including George Washington University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Northwestern University, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Southern California. So far, only 10 schools have been identified.
The task force informed Columbia on March 3 that it would conduct a thorough review of the university’s federal contracts and grants to determine whether it had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
All educational institutions that receive federal funds must adhere to Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics, or national origin. Noncompliance with this law could put schools at risk of losing federal funding.
“Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding,” stated Education Secretary Linda McMahon. “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.”
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
Find more stories on Business, Economy and Finance in TROIB business
