Trump administration suspends a host of federal grants to Princeton University
The Trump administration cut funding to a host of Princeton University research projects, the school said Tuesday, marking the latest Ivy League campus to see federal backing reduced or revoked.
The university received notifications from government agencies including the Department of Energy, NASA and the Defense Department that funding had been suspended for several dozen research grants, Princeton President Chris Eisgruber said in a statement Tuesday.
“The full rationale for this action is not yet clear, but I want to be clear about the principles that will guide our response,” he said.
In recent funding cuts targeting Ivy League schools Harvard and Columbia, the White House demanded action over allegations of antisemitism that came from last year’s student protests against Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip.
“Princeton University will comply with the law,” Eisgruber insisted. “We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism. Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this University.”
Rabbi Gil Steinlauf, a Jewish chaplain at Princeton, said the school was being unfairly targeted.
“Princeton’s campus and campus climate and experience is in no way defined by antisemitism,” Steinlauf said Tuesday.
“In fact, the experience of Jewish students on Princeton’s campus is one of students who are thriving and empowered and strong. And they feel physically safe.”
Columbia eventually agreed to implement a series of policy changes, including overhauling protest rules and reviewing its Middle Eastern studies department.
An Education Department spokesperson declined to comment Tuesday and referred questions to the Energy Department, the Defense Department and NASA.
A Defense Department official declined comment, and representatives for the two other agencies did not immediately respond.
College campuses across America erupted in protests a year ago as Israel continued to pound the Gaza Strip in its effort to root out Hamas fighters who carried out the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on the Jewish state.
Protests at Columbia might have been the most-high profile as demonstrators eventually broke into Hamilton Hall, drawing the response of NYPD officers to clear the scene.
The Morningside Heights campus remains largely closed to the public, nearly a year after the protests ended.
