The Trump administration has halted dozens of research grants at Princeton University as part of a pressure campaign targeting top universities, with the rationale behind the suspension not being fully clear.
The big picture: The federal grants being suspended include those from agencies such as the Department of Energy, NASA, and the Defense Department, university president Christopher Eisgruber said in a campus message.
- Princeton, along with dozens of other universities, is facing federal investigations into antisemitism following pro-Palestinian protests, with the school being among 60 universities that received a warning letter from the Education Department over accusations of antisemitism.
- Eisgruber has expressed the university’s commitment to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, while also stating that Princeton will cooperate with the government and vigorously defend academic freedom and due process rights.
Zoom out: President Donald Trump has focused on Ivy League institutions in pressing his political agenda on universities, with Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania also being targeted and facing federal funding suspension over issues related to antisemitism and a transgender swimmer.
- The pressure from the government has created a dilemma for U.S. colleges, which heavily rely on federal research funding as a major source of revenue, prompting university leaders to come forward and voice their opposition.
- The Trump administration, amidst its promise of a more aggressive approach against campus antisemitism, has accused former President Joe Biden of letting schools off the hook and has opened new investigations at colleges.
