Overview

• The Trump administration has halted $1 billion in federal funding for Cornell University and $790 million for Northwestern University, citing ongoing investigations into alleged civil rights violations.
• Both universities report having learned of the funding freezes through media coverage rather than formal government notification.
• The freeze affects research grants from federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, jeopardizing projects in national defense, cybersecurity, and medical innovation.
• The funding actions are part of a broader campaign targeting elite universities over allegations of antisemitism and campus protest management, with similar measures previously taken against Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton.
• Legal experts and critics have raised concerns about the lack of due process, warning that the funding freezes could undermine academic freedom and set a troubling precedent for government intervention in higher education.