Princeton University’s federal grants frozen

Princeton University said on Tuesday that the US government has frozen several dozen research grants as it becomes the latest academic institution targeted by the Trump administration in a crackdown on what it calls anti-Semitism on campuses, Reuters has reported.

Princeton President Chris Eisgruber said that government agencies including NASA and the defence and energy departments notified the university of the move. The university said in a public statement that it was given no reason for the action and it did not say how much the grants are worth.

The Trump administration has threatened to slash federal funding for universities over their alleged tolerance of anti-Semitism and over accusations of failure to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests.

“We are committed to fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating anti-Semitism,” said Eisgruber. “Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this university.”

A Department of Energy spokesperson said that it had “paused grant funding to Princeton University pending the completion of the Department of Education’s investigation into Princeton regarding anti-Semitic harassment.” The Education Department sent a letter last month to 60 universities, including Princeton, warning that it could bring enforcement actions against them. The other federal agencies made no immediate comment.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say that President Donald Trump’s administration wrongly conflates advocacy for Palestinian rights and criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza with anti-Semitism and support for Hamas.

The latest episode in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the 7 October, 2023, Hamas cross-border incursion in which 1,200 Israelis were killed, many of them by the Israel Defence Forces. Hamas took 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s subsequent military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed at least 50,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, while also triggering accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel, of course, denies. The offensive has seen nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million population internally displaced and caused a major humanitarian crisis, including starvation.

The Trump administration is also reviewing $9 billion in federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard University. Last month, it cancelled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University, which had been the epicentre of pro-Palestinian campus protests.

Moreover, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have detained some foreign student protesters in recent weeks and are working to deport them, despite the fact that they have committed no crime.

The Trump administration has also targeted universities over other culture war issues like diversity, equality and inclusions programmes, and suspended $175m in funding to the University of Pennsylvania over transgender sports policies.

Rights advocates have also raised concerns about Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias. The Trump administration has not announced any steps in response.

READ: Germany set to deport 4 foreign residents over Gaza protests: Report