White House Ends Dozens of Research Grants at Princeton University

The Trump administration has halted dozens of research grants at Princeton University, marking the latest escalation in its pressure campaign against the nation’s top universities, Collin Binkley reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Princeton was notified this week that several dozen federal grants are being suspended.

Princeton was notified this week that several dozen federal grants are being suspended by agencies including the Department of Energy, NASA, and the Defense Department, according to a campus message sent by Christopher Eisgruber, the university’s president.

Eisgruber stated that while the rationale for the decision was not fully clear, Princeton would comply with the law.

The university is among several facing federal investigations into antisemitism following a wave of pro-Palestinian protests last year.

“We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism,” Eisgruber wrote. “At the same time, Princeton will vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this university.”

As President Donald Trump continues to push his political agenda on higher education, he has focused particularly on Ivy League institutions.

• Columbia University was the first target, losing $400 million in federal funding. The government warned of additional cuts unless the university made its campus safer for Jewish students. Columbia later agreed to government demands, including reforming student discipline policies and conducting a review of its Middle East studies department.

• The University of Pennsylvania lost $175 million in federal funding over its handling of a transgender swimmer who previously competed for the school.

  
  

• On Monday, a federal antisemitism task force announced it was reviewing nearly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts at Harvard University, citing ongoing investigations into campus antisemitism.

  
  

The growing federal pressure has created a dilemma for U.S. universities, which rely heavily on federal research funding as a major source of revenue.