Trump’s administration seeks to exert an excellent influence on US universities by withholding the federal financial support that has entered campuses for decades.
President Trump and his allies argue that some schools, especially a handful of elite universities, have become anti -Semitism and ideological basis. Although the higher education industry has recognized weaknesses and failures, especially since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023, he warned that a decline in school funding could be reversed for American society as a whole.
Universities are afraid that by threatening to withhold funding or suspending it with little or no warning, the government is trying to eliminate academic freedom, a cornerstone of the American education system.
Trump’s administration has given wide reasons for cuts, often claiming that schools tolerate anti -Semitism. But the choice of schools and even some of its demands have sometimes confused teachers and experts. Northwestern University, for example, recently published a list of steps it had taken to combat anti -Semitism that it closely watched with a list of requirements given by Trump at the University of Columbia. Northwestern had targeted several days later.
The point is to reveal the consequences of the dollars and the scalp of tensions between campus leaders and Trump’s administration. But the outcome of the underlying debate – the purpose of higher education – could form the country for the coming years.
Which schools have targeted?
So far, seven universities have been highlighted for punishment cuts or explicitly notified that their funding is at serious risk. Are:
Employees in some of the universities have been concerned about the cuts, which they have sometimes learned through social media and insisted that they had taken action to combat anti -Semitism.
Dozens of other schools are also under control, mainly by the Civil Rights Office of the Department of Education and know that some of their federal funding are prevalent. But much of the catering are the 10 schools that have been identified for particular attention by a Trump administration working group that says it is dedicated to neutralizing anti -Semitism: Columbia. George Washington University. Harvard? Johns Hopkins University. University of New York. Northwest; The University of California, Berkeley. The University of California, Los Angeles. The University of Minnesota. and the University of Southern California.
Critics of the administration did not hesitate to point out that all these schools are in states – or, in the case of George Washington, a federal area – who voted for the democratic ticket in 2024.
Why are schools criticized?
The administration has often claimed that targeted schools host anti -Semitism. When a protest movement against the Israeli war in Gaza swept campus from coast to coast in 2024, for example, some of the most unstable scenes were in Columbia.
But the hostility of the administration to large colleges and universities manages deeper roots than the turmoil associated with this war. Conservatives have seen the challenge of higher education elite scales for decades, disorders from positive action, high teaching costs, the views of liberal teachers, and the proliferation of the initiatives of diversity, and the initiatives of diversity.
Many conservatives say that their views have been marginalized in lectures and regard top schools as a “lying down” nurseries. They have said that universities want to emphasize academic programs that will lead students to jobs necessary for the economy.
How much money is at stake?
So far, the government has been pulling or threatened to pull more than $ 12 billion. Most of this money is linked to Harvard and its subsidiaries, such as its hospitals.
Universities have said a few things about these programs at risk. But Penn, for example, said the researchers in at least seven of her schools were affected.
“These contracts include a research on preventing the infections obtained from the hospital, controlling the drugs against fatal viruses, quantum computers, protection against chemical warfare and student loan programs,” said J. Larry Jameson.
How did the schools respond?
In addition to the statements of frustration and anxiety, they have generally not done much public.
But there is a huge exception. In March, Columbia agreed to comply with the demands of the administration so that it could negotiate the future of the $ 400 million that the government had hit. Some of the most important concessions made by the University included the agreement on the placement of the Middle East, South Asia and African university under new supervision. Strengthening the campus security force; and to harden his disciplinary and protest policies.
Columbia’s capitulation was concerned about higher education leaders across the country.
“Academic freedom is a fundamental principle of universities – it must be protected,” the Princeton University president told “PBS Newshour”. “And so I have concerns if universities make concessions about it, and I think once you make concessions once, it’s hard not to make them again.”
Today’s and former academic presidents also said it was easy to judge the actions of a school from afar.
“I do not want to say, if I was sitting in their shoes, that I would make a different decision,” Mary Sue Coleman, a former president of the University of Michigan and the University of Iowa, said in an interview. “I don’t know.”
These schools are rich. Why is their government funding first?
Since World War II, the US government has leaned into the academia to conduct research projects whose findings enter the public and private sectors. Federal funded research had almost always had diplomatic support, although there were occasional complaints (and sometimes comprehensive hallucinations) for specific projects.
In their struggle to deal with the recent Trump administration’s moves, universities have tried to inform the elected officials and the public that they contribute significantly to the country’s health and well -being. They have also sought to frame the research based on the University as an imperative for the future of the nation.
“America does not have the luxury of stopping for a second in our race with China and other competitors’ villages,” the US Union’s Board of Directors said in a recent statement in a recent statement, adding: “Now, more than ever, we can not be more likely to be in danger.
Can’t schools use their donations?
Many large schools really have great benefits. However, each donation is different and university leaders note that many donors have limited how their money can be used. Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, openly discussed the increase in the consumption tax for the biggest endowments.
Harvard has a donation worth about $ 53 billion, much more than any other American university. But even so, a few days after Trump’s announcement on the revision of Harvard Federal funding, the university announced a plan this month to issue $ 750 million in bonds. The proceeds would give Harvard, which has been involved in emergency planning, some financial respiratory hall.
