Trump administration SUSPENDS federal grants to Princeton University amid antisemitism probe
04/06/2025 / By Ramon Tomey
- The Trump administration froze dozens of research grants to Princeton University, citing ongoing antisemitism investigations. Agencies like the DOE, NASA and DOD halted funding without detailed explanations.
- Princeton joins Columbia, UPenn and Harvard in facing federal suspensions tied to antisemitism probes. The DOE previously warned 60 universities to address anti-Jewish bias or face consequences.
- A complaint by Campus Reform‘s editor cited a pro-Palestinian protest at Princeton where chants like “Intifada” were heard, alleging antisemitism. The university denies tolerating discrimination.
- Princeton, which received $456M in federal grants last year, faces significant financial strain. Columbia recently complied with federal demands to restore $400M in funding, while Harvard undergoes an audit of $8.7B in grants.
- Princeton’s President Christopher Eisgruber pledged cooperation but vowed to defend academic freedom, earlier comparing the administration’s tactics to the 1950s Red Scare. The government is using Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to pressure universities on discrimination policies.
The Trump administration has suspended dozens of federal research grants to Princeton University in New Jersey, escalating its crackdown on Ivy League institutions under investigation for alleged antisemitism.
Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber confirmed the freeze, revealing that agencies including the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense halted funding for multiple research projects. While the administration has not provided detailed reasoning, the move aligns with a broader federal campaign targeting elite universities over campus discrimination complaints.
Princeton now joins Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University in facing federal funding suspensions tied to antisemitism investigations. Eisgruber pledged cooperation with government inquiries but vowed to defend academic freedom.
“We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism,” he wrote in a campus-wide email sent Tuesday, April 1. “Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this university.”
The suspensions follow a March warning from the Department of Education to 60 universities, threatening enforcement actions if they failed to address alleged anti-Jewish bias. Princeton had already been under federal investigation since April 2024.
The probe was initiated after Zachary Marschall, editor-in-chief of Campus Reform, filed a complaint citing a pro-Palestinian protest at Princeton where chants such as “Intifada” were heard. Marschall accused the university of ignoring what he called antisemitic rhetoric.
From protests to punishment: The high-stakes battle over campus speech
The second Trump administration’s aggressive stance reflects President Donald Trump‘s repeated vows to combat campus antisemitism, which he has linked to pro-Palestinian activism. Federal officials have characterized some student demonstrators as “pro-Hamas,” while activists insist their protests target Israeli military actions, not Jewish people. The administration has also deported foreign students tied to protests and intensified scrutiny of Middle East studies programs.
Princeton, with a $34 billion endowment, received $456 million in federal grants last year – making the suspensions a significant financial blow. The Anti-Defamation League previously gave the university an “F” grade for its handling of antisemitism.
Meanwhile, Columbia recently agreed to federal demands – including revising disciplinary policies and its Middle East curriculum – to restore $400 million in frozen funds. Over in Massachusetts, Harvard now faces an audit of $8.7 billion in grants by a federal antisemitism task force. (Related: Columbia University yields to Trump administration’s demands to restore $400M in federal funding.)
Eisgruber, a vocal critic of the administration’s tactics, previously condemned the Columbia sanctions as a “radical threat to scholarly excellence” in an essay published last month in The Atlantic magazine. He likened the current climate to the Red Scare of the 1950s, warning of eroding academic freedoms.
The administration is leveraging Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars federal funding to institutions that enable discrimination based on religion or national origin. While Princeton has not been formally accused of violating the law, the suspensions signal a hardline approach that could reshape campus speech policies nationwide.
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Watch this clip about colleges facing backlash and potentially losing funding over allegations of antisemitism on campus.
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antisemitsm, biased, big government, campus insanity, education system, federal grants, federal probe, First Amendment, freedom, funding cuts, intolerance, Liberty, money supply, Princeton University, protests, real investigations, Trump administration
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