The Trump administration has paused over $1 billion in federal funding for Cornell University and $790 million for Northwestern University due to concerns over the universities’ handling of antisemitism.
Both universities were put on the federal government’s radar after a wave of anti-Israel protesters flooded campuses across the nation, with the Department of Education (ED) launching investigations into the two schools along with many others. A White House official confirmed the decision to freeze funding to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
A senior White House official also told Fox News that “The money was frozen in connection with several ongoing, credible, and concerning Title VI investigations.” The cuts reportedly stem from multiple federal agencies.
A Cornell spokesman directed the DCNF to a statement released by university president Michael I. Kotlikoff on Tuesday.
“Cornell is aware of media reports suggesting that more than $1 billion in federal grants have been frozen,” Kotlikoff wrote. “While we have not received information that would confirm this figure, earlier today Cornell received more than 75 stop work orders from the Department of Defense related to research that is profoundly significant to American national defense, cybersecurity, and health.”
“We are actively seeking information from federal officials to learn more about the basis for these decisions,” Kotlikoff continued.
The Trump administration has put several universities under review for their compliance with civil rights law as it relates to protecting Jewish students from discrimination after violent antisemitic protests ran rampant on college campuses for over a year. In February, the administration assembled the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, made up of the ED, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The task force stated its “first priority will be to root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses” and has since begun its review of schools’ compliance with civil rights enforcement.
The following month, ED sent letters to 60 universities warning them of “potential enforcement actions” if they did not step up to protect Jewish students from harassment and discrimination.
“Northwestern was informed by members of the media that the federal government plans to freeze a significant portion of our federal funding,” A Northwestern spokesman told the DCNF. “The University has not received any official notification from the federal government. Federal funds that Northwestern receives drive innovative and life-saving research, like the recent development by Northwestern researchers of the world’s smallest pacemaker, and research fueling the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. This type of research is now at jeopardy. The University has fully cooperated with investigations by both the Department of Education and Congress.”
ED began by revoking $400 million in funding from Columbia University, which ceded to the administration’s demands and entered a preliminary agreement promising to reform and enforce its disciplinary practices. Since then, several more universities have been hit with funding freezes.
In further action to halt violent protests, the Trump administration has revoked over 300 student visas from foreign protesters who express support for Hamas and other terrorist organizations.
Anti-Israel events have broken out on college campuses across the nation since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, resulting in multiple lawsuits being filed against schools for allegedly not doing enough to stop the occurrences. Several schools faced investigations for incidents in which anti-Israel protests took over campuses, clashed with police, excluded Jewish students from parts of campus and even resulted in the overtaking of campus buildings and a university employee reportedly being taken hostage.
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