The Trump administration revealed on Monday that it had initiated a review of Columbia University’s federal grants and contracts after allegations that the university did not sufficiently respond to antisemitism amid the protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict. The review will cover about $5 billion in federal grant promises, with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the General Services Administration participating in the review. The agencies are also discussing issuing a stop-work order on federal contracts worth about $51 million.
The review is based on an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January that called on federal agencies to review how colleges address antisemitism, especially in light of campus protests. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, however, stated that institutions receiving federal funding have a responsibility to protect their students from discrimination and questioned how Columbia dealt with it.
Columbia University reacted by saying it is considering the announcement and reaffirming its dedication to student protection and safe combating of antisemitism. The institution proclaimed its desire to collaborate with the new federal government in order to have these matters resolved.
Columbia is at center of the controversy due to protests that ensued after Israel’s military action against the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Pro-Palestinian protesters took over a campus building, resulting in confrontations with Jewish students who had been harassed and abused. These incidents caused a great rift within the university community, and President Minouche Shafik stepped down following them. While protests have mainly died down, they persist in some manner, like sit-ins at Barnard College, which is a part of Columbia.
Republican legislators have pounced on these charges of antisemitic bullying, positioning them as a subset of a larger pattern of hostility to Jewish students on campuses. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., also expressed such concerns, connecting the matter to the larger cultural controversy over “woke” culture and cancel culture on campuses, which he says is creating a climate of hostility and censorship.
The federal review result can have a substantial impact on the future of Columbia University’s interactions with the federal government.
