By: Rory Zeman

Media Production Editor

On Mar. 7, President Donald Trump’s administration, through its Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, announced it was canceling close to 400 million dollars in federal grants to Columbia University in New York. The task force, which contains members of the Justice Department, Health and Human Services Department, Education Department, and the US General Services Administration, cited that its decision was “due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” Although it is unclear how the funding cuts will affect the school, Columbia is actively working to reverse the government’s action as it is a hefty loss for its students and faculty.

The task force also noted how the fund withholding is mainly due to the protests that occurred last spring at Columbia. Education Secretary Linda McMahon justified the task force’s harsh punishment, insisting that “universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination 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.” This aligns with Trump’s anti-Palestine agenda, as Trump, who was very vocal about his condemnation of the pro-Palestine movements, signed an executive order dealing with this very matter on his first day in office. Specifically, the executive order mandated the Department of Justice to “investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.”

The grant cuts come after a series of widespread student protests at Columbia, who were protesting the University’s affiliation with certain Israeli corporations. Last spring, Columbia had to revert to virtual learning for the remaining weeks of the term after the school received waves of backlash for its violent handling of the protests that involved administrators engaging confrontationally with the protestors. Columbia’s current president, Katrina Armstrong, stated, “These impacts will touch nearly every corner of the University. But it is during periods like this that our collective dedication to this institution and our mission takes on critical importance.” A spokesperson for the University also declared that the university is currently contending with the Trump administration’s decision, declaring, “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 wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff.”

It is unclear what is to come with the current situation as many entities, including pro-Palestine groups, pro-Israel groups, Columbia, and the federal government, are all clashing over the recent controversies and are working to resolve the ongoing issues.

(Sources: CNN, NBC, NPR)