The Trump administration has escalated its crackdown on universities accused of civil rights violations, freezing a staggering $584 million in federal research funding to the University of California, Los Angeles, nearly twice the previously reported amount. The funding suspension, announced by UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk on Wednesday, comes as a dramatic turn in the administration’s efforts to tie financial aid to compliance with federal civil rights laws.
UCLA becomes the first public university to face such a sweeping funding halt, following claims the institution allowed a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students to flourish on campus. The Department of Justice recently concluded that UCLA had violated both the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.”
“If these funds remain suspended, it will be devastating for UCLA and for Americans across the nation,” Frenk said, defending the university’s track record in groundbreaking research. The departments most affected by the freeze include those supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the National Institutes of Health.
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The action follows a $6 million legal settlement between UCLA and a group of Jewish students and a professor who sued the university for allegedly failing to protect them during pro-Palestinian protests in 2024, which they say obstructed access to classes and campus facilities.
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As part of that agreement, UCLA pledged $2.3 million to eight organizations that combat antisemitism and promote Jewish student support, and established a new Office of Campus and Community Safety to oversee protest management. Frenk, whose own family history includes Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, launched an initiative targeting antisemitism and anti-Israel bias.
University of California President James B. Milliken responded sharply to the administration’s move, stating that negotiations are underway. “These cuts do nothing to address antisemitism,” Milliken said, as quoted by AP in a report. “Moreover, the extensive work that UCLA and the entire University of California have taken to combat antisemitism has apparently been ignored.”
He warned that the financial blow could cripple key innovations: “The cuts would be a death knell for innovative work that saves lives, grows our economy, and fortifies our national security. It is in our country’s best interest that funding be restored.”
The Department of Education has not yet responded to media inquiries, while UCLA says it remains committed to inclusivity and campus safety.
The case also echoes a recent $200 million settlement between the Trump administration and Columbia University, which faced similar allegations. That deal not only restored over $400 million in research grants but is also being positioned as a template for future university enforcement actions, with financial penalties now expected to follow such investigations.
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