Trump administration halts $1 billion in federal funding for Cornell, $790 million for Northwestern

WASHINGTON AP More than billion in federal funding for Cornell University and around million for Northwestern University has been frozen while the administration investigates alleged civil rights violations at the schools the White House disclosed It s part of a broader push to use authorities funding to get major academic institutions to comply with President Donald Trump s political agenda The White House ratified the funding pauses late Tuesday night but offered no further details on what they entail or what grants to the schools are being affected Related Articles Trump disrupts global economic order even though the US is dominant World shares fall further as Trump threatens still more tariff hikes China raises its retaliatory tariff on the US to as it vows to fight to the end Minnesota won t comply with Trump on DEI in schools state functionaries say Turkish U graduate aspirant detained by ICE is announced to face new charges The moves come as Trump s Republican administration has increasingly begun using governmental grant funding as a spigot to try to influence campus guidelines previously cutting off money to schools including Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania That has left universities across the country struggling to manage cuts to grants for research institutions In a comment Cornell stated that it had received more than stop work orders earlier Tuesday from the Defense Department related to research profoundly critical to American national defense cybersecurity and soundness but that it had not otherwise received any information confirming billion in frozen grants We are actively seeking information from federal executives to learn more about the basis for these decisions declared the message from Michael I Kotlikoff the university president and other top school functionaries Northwestern spokesperson Jon Yates commented Tuesday evening the school had not received any notice from the federal regime Yates revealed the school has fully cooperated with investigations by both the Training Department and Congress Federal funds that Northwestern receives drive innovative and life-saving research like the modern advancement by Northwestern researchers of the world s smallest pacemaker and research fueling the fight against Alzheimer s syndrome Yates reported This type of research is now at jeopardy Last month the Guidance Department sent letters to more than universities including Cornell and Northwestern warning of expected enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under federal law to protect Jewish students on campus including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities The Trump administration has threatened to cut off federal funding for universities allowing alleged antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests last year against Israel s war with Hamas in Gaza accusations the universities have denied FILE Signs are displayed outside a tent encampment at Northwestern University April in Evanston Ill AP Photo Teresa Crawford File The funding freezes have jeopardized science and research without advancing the goal of creating campuses free of antisemitism mentioned Ted Mitchell president of the American Council on Training This was wrong last week it is wrong this week and it will be wrong next week he mentioned A spokesperson for the Learning Department did not respond to a request for comment Leaders have already singled out Columbia University making an example of it with threats to withhold million in federal funds The administration accused Columbia of failing to stop antisemitism during protests against Israel that began at the New York City university last spring and speedily spread to other campuses a characterization disputed by those involved in the demonstrations As a precondition for restoring that money along with billions of dollars more in future grants the Trump administration demanded unprecedented changes in university initiative Columbia s decision to bow to those demands in part to salvage ongoing research projects at its labs and healthcare center has been criticized by specific faculty and free speech groups as capitulating to an intrusion on academic freedom The Trump administration has since issued similar demands to Harvard University as a condition for receiving almost billion in grants and contracts It also has paused million in federal grants and contracts for Brown and dozens of research grants at Princeton