Princeton's US grants frozen, follows Trump actions against other schools

It is the latest institution targeted in a crackdown by the Trump administration on what it calls antisemitism on college campuses

FILE PHOTO: People walk past Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in Princeton, New Jersey, Nov 20, 2015. Princeton University has pledged to consider renaming buildings dedicated to former US President Woodrow Wilson, the latest US campus effort to quell student complaints of racism. REUTERS/Dominick Reuter/File Photo

Princeton University said on Tuesday the U.S. government froze several dozen research grants to the school, which became the latest academic institution targeted by the Trump administration in a crackdown on what it calls antisemitism on campuses.

Princeton President Chris Eisgruber said government agencies including NASA and the defense and energy departments notified the university of the move. The university said in a statement it was given no reason for the action and it did not provide a dollar value for the grants.

The Trump administration has threatened to slash federal funding for universities over their alleged tolerance of antisemitism and over accusations of failure to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests.

"We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism. Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this university," Eisgruber said in the statement.

A Department of Energy spokesperson said the agency "paused grant funding to Princeton University pending the completion of the Department of Education's investigation into Princeton regarding antisemitic harassment." The Education Department, last month, sent a letter to 60 universities, including Princeton, warning it could bring enforcement actions against them.

The other federal agencies had no immediate comment.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say President Donald Trump's administration wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas militants.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, while also triggering accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies. The assault has internally displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis.

The Trump administration is also reviewing $9 billion in federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard University.

Last month, it cancelled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University, which had been the epicentre of pro-Palestinian campus protests.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained some foreign student protesters in recent weeks and are working to deport them.

The Trump administration has also targeted schools over other culture war issues like diversity, equity and inclusion programs and suspended $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania over transgender sports policies.

Rights advocates have also raised concerns about Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias. The Trump administration has not announced steps in response.