• Trump administration said on Friday that it cut $400 million in funding to Columbia University.
• The administration said in its statement that more cuts are expected.
• Columbia has faced backlash over pro-Palestinian protests over Israel's war in Gaza.

President Donald Trump is following through on his promise to punish universities over what he believes is their failure to combat anti-semitism on campus. And Columbia University is taking a big hit.

On Friday, the Trump administration announced in a statement that it is cancelling about $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia. The figure represents about 8% of the $5 billion in federal grant commitments the university currently holds.

The statement — which came from the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and the US General Services Administration as members of the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism — said the funding cut represents the "first round of action" and "additional cancellations are expected to follow."

The offices cited ongoing campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza and the "school's continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students." Along with other major universities like Harvard, MIT, and UPenn, Columbia has faced backlash over pro-Palestinian student protests that have occurred across campus since the war in Gaza began on October 7.

"Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said int he statement. "For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus. Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer."

The Trump administration did not provide additional details on what contracts or grants would be affected by the funding cut.

"We are reviewing the announcement from the federal agencies and pledge to work with the federal government to restore Columbia's federal funding," a Columbia University spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider. "We take Columbia's legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff."

Harrison Fields, the principal deputy press secretary for the White House said in a statement to BI, "Relentless anti-Semitic racism on college campuses will not be tolerated, and Columbia University has been held accountable for their refusal to protect students equally."

Earlier this week, Trump threatened in a Truth Social post to cancel funding for any university that allows what he called "illegal protests" on their campuses.

"Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS!" he wrote.