Princeton University grants pulled, president says
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The Princeton University campus on Feb. 4, 2020, in Princeton, New Jersey. Photo: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images
The Trump administration has paused dozens of Princeton University's research grants, the school announced on Tuesday.
The big picture: It's the latest Ivy League school, following Columbia and Harvard, to have its federal funding reviewed or revoked.
- Princeton is among 60 colleges and universities under investigation for allegations of antisemitic harassment and discrimination.
Driving the news: Princeton president Christopher Eisgruber said in a letter to the campus community that the university received notifications Monday and Tuesday from government agencies, including the Department of Energy, NASA and the Defense Department, suspending several dozen research grants.
- "The full rationale for this action is not yet clear, but I want to be clear about the principles that will guide our response," Eisgruber wrote, adding that the university will comply with the law.
- "We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism," he said.
- "Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this University."
What they're saying: A Department of Energy spokesperson confirmed to Axios Tuesday evening that it has paused grant funding to the university, "pending the completion of the Department of Education's investigation into Princeton regarding anti-Semitic harassment."
- The White House, the Department of Education, Defense Department and NASA did not immediately respond to Axios' request in the early afternoon for comment.
Zoom out: Princeton's president has been one of the few leaders of such high-profile universities to publicly speak out against the Trump administration's attacks on university funding.
- "The Trump administration's recent attack on Columbia University .... [presents] the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s," Eisgruber wrote in The Atlantic. "Every American should be concerned."
- Eisgruber said "recent events have raised legitimate concerns about anti-Semitism at Columbia," adding: "The government can respond to those concerns without infringing on academic freedom."
More from Axios:
- Trump task force reviewing billions in Harvard funding
- Columbia caves to Trump demands to regain $400 million in funding
- Harvard, Yale among 60 colleges warned of fund cuts over antisemitism claims
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from a Department of Energy spokesperson.
