The Trump administration is battling higher education

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- The Trump administration has cut off billions of dollars in federal funding for universities.
- The move has already caused some institutions to scale back hiring or implement layoffs.
- The White House also directly targeted a few schools, withholding funds until demands are met.
The Trump administration has set its crosshairs on dozens of universities across the US as part of an effort to crack down on DEI-related initiatives and what the administration has said to be a rampant presence of anti-semitism on campuses.
Already, the administration's moves to reduce federal spending has had sweeping consequences for America's higher education institutions.
Universities have implemented hiring freezes or pursued layoffs as billions of dollars worth of funding toward research remains at threat or has been taken away as a result of the White House's move to downsize or dismantle government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the United States Agency for International Development.
But the administration also has directly threatened several universities to strip them of federal funds, accusing them of failing to properly respond to anti-semitism on campus or participating in "race-exclusionary practices."
The Department of Education issued a letter in March to 60 higher education institutions, including a few Ivy League schools, warning them of potential probes if they do not do more to protect Jewish students.
Columbia University was stripped of $400 million worth of federal contracts and grants after the Trump administration accused the university of mishandling its response to harassment against Jewish students.
In two weeks, the Ivy League school conceded, by banning masks on campus and hiring more security, in hopes of restoring the contracts.
Here's a list of notable cases in which the Trump administration targeted higher education institutions and how universities have responded:

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The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it was conducting a review of $8.9 billion worth of federal contracts and grants.
The Trump administration accused the university of failing to protect its Jewish student body and promoting "divisive ideologies over free inquiry."
The review is to "ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities," according to a statement from the Department of Education."
Harvard University President Alan M. Garber said in a statement that the school would "engage with members of the federal government's task force to combat antisemitism."

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Columbia University was the first Ivy League school the Trump administration targeted over concerns of anti-semitism on university campuses.
The administration announced in a statement that it was cancelling about $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia.
The university responded to the funding cuts on March 20 with a list of nine proposals that entailed increasing campus security and stronger enforcement of disciplinary actions, among other actions.
Columbia's interim president, Katrina Armstrong, resigned after the university announced its concessions.

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Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said in an announcement that dozens of research grants, including those administered by the Department of Energy, NASA, and the Defense Department, were suspended.
The university leader said in a statement that the "full rationale" of the move was unclear but added that the school was "committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination."
Prior to the announcement, Eisgruber penned an essay in The Atlantic saying the Trump administration's targeting of universities presents "the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s."

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Johns Hopkins said it would get rid of more than 2,200 jobs as a result of the Trump administration's move to eliminate the US Agency for International Development.
Part of the funding was directed toward work focused on preventing the spread of HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, the university said in a statement.
"Over more than five decades, our colleagues have brought the benefits of research, discovery, and clinical care to mothers, children, and families at home and around the world, from Nepal to Nigeria, from the Western highlands of Guatemala to our hometown of Baltimore," university president Ron Daniels said.

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University of Michigan leaders eliminated its office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and other related programs.
University leaders said in a statement that the moves comes as "federal actions against DEI programming have intensified."
"These decisions have not been made lightly," the statement said. "We recognize the changes are significant and will be challenging for many of us, especially those whose lives and careers have been enriched by and dedicated to programs that are now pivoting."
The school said it would redirect funding towards other "student-facing programs," including financial aid for lower-income families and mental health services.

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The Trump Administration suspended $175 million in federal contracts from the University of Pennsylvania citing the participation of a transgender athlete, Lia Thomas, on the women's swimming team in 2022.
"These contracts include research on preventing hospital-acquired infections, drug screening against deadly viruses, quantum computing, protections against chemical warfare, and student loan programs," the university's president J. Larry Jameson wrote in a statement at the end of March.
"These stop work orders are in addition to several federal grants that have been cancelled recently, and the slowing down of the award of grants going forward," Jameson went on. "We are actively pursuing multiple avenues to understand and address these funding terminations, freezes, and slowdowns."