Northwestern University said it found out the Trump administration is poised to freeze “a significant portion” of its federal funding from other media outlets Tuesday.
The institution had not been officially notified of a funding freeze as of Tuesday evening, a spokesperson said.
In a brief story published Tuesday evening, The New York Times reported that President Donald J. Trump’s administration would pause almost $800 million in funding for the Evanston-based research university.
The federal government has been zeroing in on Northwestern for months as part of a recent crackdown on alleged antisemitic action on campuses across the country, with a particular focus on how schools handled pro-Palestinian protests that swept campuses across the country last spring.
Many of the encampments at colleges across Chicago were eventually dismantled by police, leaving lawn chairs and colorful student artwork dotting the muddy grass of campus quads. Northwestern’s encampment, in Deering Meadow, was taken down in an agreement with students and faculty — believed to be the first between a major U.S. university and pro-Palestinian protesters.
In early February, Northwestern was put under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education through a newly created multiagency task force for what the federal agency called “widespread antisemitic harassment.”
The school was one of 60 institutions to receive a warning in March that it could lose money if it did not fulfill its obligations to Jewish students. The university is also on a U.S. Department of Justice list of 10 institutions accused of not protecting their Jewish students and faculty.
Northwestern’s president, Michael Schill, has testified before Congress about his commitment to making Jewish students, faculty and staff feel comfortable around Northwestern’s campus.
Last week, the university released a “progress report” detailing several steps the school has taken to secure its campus for Jewish students, faculty and staff. The school has seen a dip in instances of antisemitic conduct over the last year, that report stated.
In a statement, university spokesperson Jon Yates said federal dollars fund “innovative and life saving research” and that the school has “fully cooperated” with federal investigators.
This is a developing story.