Trump Admin Freezes Over $1B in Federal Funds to Cornell & Northwestern Amid Antisemitism Probes

By: Fern Sidman

In a sweeping move that highlights a hardline stance against alleged civil rights violations on college campuses, the Trump administration has frozen more than $1 billion in federal funding to Cornell University and $790 million to Northwestern University, according to a report that appeared on Tuesday in The New York Post. The decision comes amid a series of civil rights investigations into antisemitic discrimination and harassment, placing two of America’s most prestigious academic institutions at the center of a growing national controversy.

The Post report also noted that shortly after returning to office, President Trump signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to take aggressive action against antisemitism on U.S. college campuses. This order has become the legal and political foundation for the sweeping funding freezes now unfolding across the higher education landscape.

In addition to financial penalties, the administration is reportedly coordinating with the State Department to review and potentially revoke student visas of foreign nationals who have expressed support for Hamas or engaged in illegal activities during the wave of anti-Israel demonstrations that have swept universities since October.

While most protests have remained nonviolent, some have involved property damage, threats, and hate speech, prompting further investigations and escalating federal responses.

As The New York Post report detailed, the funding freeze stems from what officials described as “ongoing, credible, and concerning Title VI investigations.” Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. In recent months, rising antisemitic incidents on college campuses — especially following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel — have sparked intense scrutiny from federal agencies and lawmakers alike.

A Trump administration official told Fox News, as cited by The New York Post, that the decision to pause funding was driven by the severity of allegations uncovered during these investigations. Two sources from within the administration told the New York Times that the funding freeze largely affects grants and contracts administered through the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, and Health and Human Services.

Both Cornell and Northwestern have responded to the decision with a mix of concern and confusion, indicating that they were not officially notified by the government before the media began reporting on the freeze.

Cornell came under fire following a deeply disturbing declaration by history professor Russell Rickford, who, in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 terrorist massacre in Israel, said he felt “exhilarated” and “energized” by the attack. The horrifying remarks, made at an off-campus anti-Israel rally, sent shockwaves through the academic world and Jewish communities alike.

Despite widespread condemnation, the professor managed to dodge disciplinary consequences. As detailed in The New York Post report, Rickford was placed on “voluntary leave” and has since been allowed to return to the classroom, a move many have called an institutional failure to take meaningful action against open expressions of hate.

University leaders have maintained that Cornell is committed to protecting free expression while fostering an inclusive environment. However, critics argue that this balance has tipped dangerously toward permissiveness when hate speech is allowed to masquerade as scholarship or political critique.

This incident is only one of many that have pushed elite American universities into the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, which has launched a sweeping campaign to withhold federal funding from institutions alleged to tolerate or promote antisemitic behavior. According to the information provided in The New York Post report, this inter-agency task force includes the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration.

Cornell joins a growing list of prestigious institutions that have seen federal funding frozen or threatened. Columbia University was among the first to face consequences, with approximately $400 million in federal funds pulled due to antisemitism concerns on campus. Columbia has since agreed to comply with nine strict preconditions in a bid to restore access to those funds.

Other universities targeted by the administration include Princeton University, which is facing a freeze on $210 million in grants and contracts, as well as Brown University, with $510 million in federal funding halted and Harvard University, which is currently under investigation with over $8.7 billion in long-term federal commitments at stake.

The freeze is part of a broader enforcement effort initiated by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which earlier this month identified 60 colleges and universities under investigation for alleged antisemitism. As The New York Post reported, both Cornell and Northwestern appeared on that list, which also included six Ivy League institutions — Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Cornell — as well as Rutgers, Rutgers-Newark, Sarah Lawrence College, The New School, and three branches of SUNY.

Prominent liberal arts colleges in the Northeast were also included, such as Emerson College in Boston, Lafayette, Lehigh, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore in Pennsylvania, and Middlebury College in Vermont.

The inclusion of so many elite schools signals a growing federal pushback against what critics describe as a tolerance — or even tacit endorsement — of antisemitic rhetoric and behavior on campus. In the aftermath of the Hamas attack on October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, many universities have struggled to manage increasingly hostile campus environments. Protests, controversial speaker invitations, and inflammatory social media posts have drawn national attention — and, increasingly, federal intervention.

As the report in The New York Post pointed out, the affected funds are not limited to administrative budgets — they jeopardize a wide range of federally backed research projects in medicine, national defense, cybersecurity, and public health. The long-term consequences for both Cornell and Northwestern could be substantial if the freeze persists, potentially affecting faculty hiring, student scholarships, and partnerships with federal agencies.

A spokesperson for Northwestern University told The New York Post that the university had not received any direct notice of the Trump administration’s action. “Federal funds that Northwestern receives drive innovative and life-saving research, like the recent development by Northwestern researchers of the world’s smallest pacemaker, and research fueling the fight against Alzheimer’s disease,” the representative said. “This type of research is now at jeopardy. The University has fully cooperated with investigations by both the Department of Education and Congress.”

Similarly, Cornell University officials indicated they had not been informed of the billion-dollar figure but confirmed the receipt of over 75 stop-work orders from the Department of Defense, which halted multiple research projects. According to a letter sent to the Cornell community and obtained by The New York Post, University President Michael Kotlikoff, Provost Kavita Bala, and Provost for Medical Affairs Robert A. Harrington expressed concern and a desire for clarity: “We are actively seeking information from federal officials to learn more about the basis for these decisions.”

They emphasized that the university had taken steps to ensure a campus climate in which “all individuals and viewpoints are protected and respected” and reiterated Cornell’s commitment to working “with our federal partners to continue the contributions made by our scientists and scholars.”

What began as isolated campus controversies has now evolved into a federal showdown between elite universities and the White House. The Trump administration is positioning itself as a defender of Jewish students and a forceful opponent of antisemitism, while holding institutions financially accountable for what it sees as an abdication of moral and legal responsibility.

As The New York Post reported, the message from Washington is unequivocal: universities that fail to uphold civil rights protections for Jewish students will no longer receive the benefit of taxpayer-funded support.