ITHACA, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Trump administration in planning to freeze over $1 billion worth of federal funding to Cornell University.
This move comes as a response to civil rights investigations at the school, with a Trump admin representative telling Fox News, “The money was frozen in connection with several ongoing, credible, and concerning Title VI investigations…”
The investigations stem from allegations of anitisemitism and racial discrimination as part of the school’s efforts to promote diverstiy, equity, and inclusion.
The funding pause involves grants and contracts with the federal departments of Agriculture, Education, Defense, and Health and Human Services.
The university confirmed that 75 stop work orders have been issued to the school by the Department of Defense, but did not confirm the figure of $1 billion in cuts.
The freeze will affect grants involving research into information networks, superconductors, robotics, and cancer research among other major projects at Cornell.
Northwestern University is also likely to see cuts, with White House officials estimating $790 million in cuts as part of the same investigation into Cornell.
Schools such as Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania have been subject to funding cut threats from the Trump Administration.