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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The controversial action by the administration of United States President Donald Trump has sparked a debate about academic freedom. Trump announced the cancellation of grants and contracts worth approximately US$400 million, or Rp6.56 trillion, to Columbia University. This decision was made based on allegations of anti-Semitic behavior on the campus of the well-known New York university.
The announcement, released on Friday, March 7, 2025, through a joint statement from the Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration, did not specify the exact grants and contracts that were scrapped. The announcement also did not provide clear evidence of the alleged anti-Semitic behavior.
The cut funds were part of a commitment of over US$5 billion previously promised to Columbia. Most of these funds were intended for health and scientific research. However, these figures have not yet been confirmed.
Various civil rights groups have criticized the decision to cut aid. Trump's decision was called an action without a clear legal process and an unconstitutional punishment for protected forms of expression.
Columbia University has been at the center of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student protests since the start of the Gaza war. Protesters have demanded that the university stop investing in companies that support Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories.
"Cancelling these taxpayer funds is our strongest signal yet that the Federal Government is not going to be party to an educational institution like Columbia that does not protect Jewish students and staff," said Leo Terrell, head of the DOJ Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, in the press release.
Columbia University says it has worked hard to fight anti-Semitism and other forms of bias on campus. The university has taken disciplinary action against dozens of pro-Palestinian students and staff over the past year, including suspensions and twice calling in police to arrest protesters.
Samantha Slater, a Columbia spokeswoman, said, “We pledge to work with the federal government to restore Columbia's federal funding.” She added that the university is committed to fighting anti-Semitism and ensuring the safety of students and staff.
The New York Civil Liberties Union condemned the cuts as an abuse of the Civil Rights Act to punish political expression. "It is unconstitutional and unprecedented, but it is entirely consistent with Trump's long-held desire to silence views with which he disagrees and clamp down on protest," New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) Executive Director Donna Lieberman said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.
Jewish organizations responded to the announcement in different ways. Brian Cohen of Hillel Columbia said he hoped it would be a "wake-up call to Columbia's administration and trustees". Whereas, J Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group, warned that the decision could encourage academic institutions to restrict free speech for fear of losing funding.
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