Photograph from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 Common Public Area Dedication, Date: 21 April 2024, 14:07:15
On Friday, the Division of Justice (DOJ), Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS), Division of Schooling (ED), and the U.S. Normal Companies Administration (GSA) introduced the instant recinding of $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia College citing “inaction within the face of persistent harassment of Jewish college students” by the college.
Right this moment, the Division of Justice (DOJ), Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS), Division of Schooling (ED), and the U.S. Normal Companies Administration (GSA) introduced the instant cancellation of roughly $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia College as a result of faculty’s continued inaction within the face of persistent harassment of Jewish college students. These cancellations symbolize the primary spherical of motion and extra cancellations are anticipated to comply with. The Process Drive is continuous to overview and coordinate throughout federal companies to establish extra cancellations that might be made swiftly. DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA are taking this motion as members of the Joint Process Drive to Fight Anti-Semitism. Columbia College at the moment holds greater than $5 billion in federal grant commitments.
On March 3, the Process Drive notified the Appearing President of Columbia College that it will conduct a complete overview of the college’s federal contracts and grants in gentle of ongoing investigations below Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Chaos and anti-Semitic harassment have continued on and close to campus within the days since. Columbia has not responded to the Process Drive.
The Gateway Pundit reported that President Trump has vowed to place a cease to the antisemitic protests occurring on campuses and promised to chop off funds to schools that permit this insanity to proceed.
On Tuesday, Trump foreshadowed the choice on Fact Social saying, “All Federal Funding will STOP for any Faculty, Faculty, or College that enables unlawful protests,” Trump wrote. “Agitators will likely be imprisoned/or completely despatched again to the nation they got here from.”
“American college students will likely be completely expelled or, relying on the crime, arrested,” he added. “NO MASKS! Thanks on your consideration to this matter.”
Secretary of Schooling Linda McMahon mentioned,“Since October 7, Jewish college students have confronted relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses – solely to be ignored by those that are supposed to guard them.”
“Universities should adjust to all federal antidiscrimination legal guidelines if they’ll obtain federal funding. For too lengthy, Columbia has deserted that obligation to Jewish college students finding out on its campus. Right this moment, we show to Columbia and different universities that we are going to not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer.”
Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Lawyer Normal for Civil Rights and head of the DOJ Process Drive to Fight Anti-Semitism added,“Freezing the funds is without doubt one of the instruments we’re utilizing to reply to this spike in anti-Semitism. That is solely the start.”
“Cancelling these taxpayer funds is our strongest sign but that the Federal Authorities is just not going to be celebration to an academic establishment like Columbia that doesn’t defend Jewish college students and employees.”
The statemtent continued:
The decisive motion by the DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA to cancel Columbia’s grants and contracts serves as a discover to each faculty and college that receives federal {dollars} that this Administration will use all of the instruments at its disposal to guard Jewish college students and finish anti-Semitism on school campuses.
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GSA will help HHS and ED in issuing stop-work orders on grants and contracts that Columbia holds with these companies. These stop-work orders will instantly freeze the college’s entry to those funds. Moreover, GSA will likely be helping all companies in issuing cease work orders and terminations for contracts held by Columbia College.
“Doing enterprise with the Federal Authorities is a privilege,” mentioned Josh Gruenbaum, FAS Commissioner and Process Drive member. “Columbia College, by way of their continued and shameful inaction to cease radical protestors from taking on buildings on campus and lack of response to the protection points for Jewish college students, and for that matter — all college students — will not be upholding the beliefs of this Administration or the American folks. Columbia can not anticipate to retain the privilege of receiving federal taxpayer {dollars} if they won’t fulfill their civil rights tasks to guard Jewish college students from harassment and anti-Semitism.”
Professional-Hamas agitators have contaminated school campuses throughout the nation, however protests have been paticularly vile at Columbia.
Protesters not too long ago invaded a Jewish history class on the College with their faces coated with keffiyehs and handed out Hamas propoganda flyers.
In August 2024, college students stormed after which occupied Hamilton Hall after smashing home windows, and fortifing their place by barricading doorways and masking home windows.
Throughout the takover, a Columbia services employee was held against his will telling the Columbia Spectator, “They held me hostage.”
It isn’t simply college students partaking within the vile habits. In August, three Columbia deans exchanged disparaging text messages that the college president mentioned “touched on historical antisemitic tropes” throughout a discussion board about Jewish points in Might.
The announcement mentioned the cancelled funds would come out of $5 billion in grants at the moment dedicated to Columbia.
Officers have signaled that the cuts are only the start.
