Columbia University to cut 180 researchers amid funding squeeze
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Columbia University announced Tuesday it will lay off nearly 180 researchers following a $400 million cut in federal funding ordered by President Donald Trump, who has accused the Ivy League school of fostering anti-Semitic and anti-American sentiment.
The funding freeze, which includes research grants and federal contracts, is part of a broader campaign by Trump targeting elite universities. Columbia said the move has forced significant cutbacks across its research programs.
"Across the research portfolio we have had to make difficult choices and unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants, will receive notices of non-renewal or termination," said a memo signed by Claire Shipman, Columbia's acting president. "This represents about 20 percent of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grants."
The memo did not identify which research areas will be affected. The university said it intends to continue engaging with federal officials in an effort to restore the lost funding.
Trump’s action against Columbia comes amid a wider push against U.S. academic institutions. In addition to Columbia, he has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University. Trump has demanded external oversight of Columbia, but the school instead opted for internal reforms announced in March.
Trump’s offensive includes criticism of what he calls liberal or "woke" institutions, including the media, courts, and law firms. His use of executive orders has escalated as he seeks to reshape what he describes as left-leaning centers of influence.
Columbia has also drawn national attention for its student protests over the Gaza war, which Trump has denounced. Student activists describe the demonstrations as support for Palestinian rights, while Trump has labeled them anti-Semitic and called for them to end.
The president cut $400 million in federal funding for Columbia — including research grants and other contracts — on the grounds that the institution had not adequately protected Jewish students from harassment.
In addition to the funding cuts, immigration authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student and U.S. permanent resident with Palestinian roots who played a leading role in the campus protests. He is currently detained in Louisiana as he and his supporters challenge the administration’s attempt to deport him, arguing that he is hindering U.S. foreign policy.
