The Trump administration announced the end of $400 million worth of grants and contracts to Columbia University after the institution failed to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitic attacks.
The cuts were made by the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the U.S. General Services Administration, according to a statement from the Education Dept. on Friday.
‘Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus.’
Anti-Israel protesters have organized destructive demonstrations in an attempt to force the university to divest from companies that are owned by Israelis or financially benefit Israel. The Trump administration alleges that the university has not done enough to tamp down the protests and protect its Jewish students from “harassment.”
The statement said this was just the first round of repercussions and that other actions would follow.
The action was attributed to the Joint Task Force to fight Anti-Semitism.
“The Task Force is continuing to review and coordinate across federal agencies to identify additional cancellations that could be made swiftly. DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA are taking this action as members of the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. Columbia University currently holds more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments,” the statement continued.
The group said it contacted Columbia University on Tuesday about the anti-Semitic harassment but received no response from university officials.
“Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding,” read a statement from Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
“For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus,” she added. “Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer.”
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