Columbia lays off 180 researchers after Trump cuts federal grants
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The Trump administration cited the school's alleged failure to address antisemitic harassment on campus as the reason for withdrawing support.
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Security cameras are seen outside Columbia University, Tuesday, September 3, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Columbia University on Tuesday announced it would terminate nearly 180 research positions, a direct consequence of the Trump administration's decision to revoke hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding earlier this year.
The administration cited the school’s failure to address alleged "antisemitic harassment" on campus as the reason for withdrawing support.
In a letter to faculty and staff, Columbia's interim president and senior leadership acknowledged the scale of the cuts, writing, "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." They described the financial toll as "intense," noting that the layoffs affect roughly 20% of the university's federally supported research workforce.
The revocation of funding, totaling $400 million, was part of a broader pool of over $5 billion in federal research grants linked to Columbia, much of it in the health and science sectors. While the university did not disclose which departments would be most affected, it confirmed that the loss would deeply impact its research infrastructure.
Campus crackdown
Columbia has become a national focal point amid ongoing pro-Palestine protests tied to the Gaza genocide, prompting increased federal scrutiny. In response to the funding crisis, the university has complied with several demands issued by the Trump administration.
These include reforms to its disciplinary procedures, the hiring of campus security officers with arrest authority, and the appointment of a new administrator to oversee departments involved in Middle East-related studies. Despite these concessions, the withheld grants have not been reinstated.
The administration's pressure campaign on elite universities has extended beyond Columbia. Just a day before the layoffs were announced, the White House informed Harvard University that it would be ineligible for future federal funding unless it accepted similar conditions. Harvard has refused and responded by filing a lawsuit, arguing that the administration's actions threaten academic independence and violate constitutional protections.
Read more: Trump administration bars Harvard from federal grants
Public reaction to these developments has been sharply divided. An April Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 57% of Americans opposed withholding federal funds from universities over political disagreements. However, among Republican respondents, 57% supported such measures, highlighting a deep partisan divide over how higher education institutions should be held accountable.
As Columbia braces for further fallout, university officials say they remain in talks with the federal government and are exploring alternative funding sources to protect their academic and research missions from further erosion.
