- The Trump administration is cutting funding to both Cornell University and Northwestern University as it investigates alleged civil rights violations at the schools. Both universities say they are seeking more information about why they were targeted.
- Cornell and Northwestern each released statements warning that such a severe loss of funding could jeopardize important research.
- The Education Department sent letters to more than 60 universities last month, including Cornell and Northwestern, warning them of potential enforcement actions “to protect Jewish students on campus.”
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The Trump administration is cutting funding to Cornell University in New York and Northwestern University in Illinois as it investigates alleged civil rights violations at the universities. Reports indicate Cornell could lose more than $1 billion, while Northwestern would lose around $790 million.
Why is funding being cut?
The Trump administration has threatened to cut off federal funding for universities that it alleges have permitted antisemitism on campus during protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. Last month, the Education Department sent letters to more than sixty universities, including Cornell and Northwestern, warning of “potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations…to protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and opportunities.”
The administration has also has taken issue with college admissions and scholarships practices, arguing that they unlawfully prioritize race over merit and violate federal statutes.
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How are universities reacting?
Universities denied the accusations of antisemitism and warned about the dangers of cutting funding. Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff said Cornell is actively seeking information from the federal government to learn more about the basis for the Trump administration’s decision.
Northwestern said it has fully cooperated with the Education Department and Congress investigations. A spokesman for Northwestern, Jon Yates, said that the university had not received any notice from the federal government.
How will funding cuts impact research?
Cornell University said it received 75 stop work orders from the Defense Department related to research “profoundly significant to American national defense, cybersecurity and health. “
At Northwestern, Yates said the federal money that Northwestern receives drives innovative life-saving research, such as the world’s smallest pacemaker and the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. He says that research is now in jeopardy.
What other universities have also seen their funding withheld?
The Trump administration has already frozen or threatened to withhold over $12 billion to nearly one hundred major universities nationwide. Last year, those universities received a total of around $33 billion in federal funding. Among those impacted are Columbia, Harvard, Brown, Princeton, Johns Hopkins and George Washington University, in addition to major state schools like the University of Pennsylvania and The Ohio State University.
