WorldDesk

The Trump administration is moving to suspend over $500 million in federal contracts and grants awarded to Brown University, expanding its list of Ivy League institutions facing threats to their federal funding in response to how they’ve handled antisemitism, according to a White House official on Thursday.The official, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorisation to address the matter publicly, stated that nearly $510 million in federal research and project funds are at risk.In an email sent Thursday to campus leadership, Brown Provost Frank Doyle acknowledge awareness of “concerning rumours” regarding potential government action on the university’s research funding. “At this moment, we have no confirmation to support any of these rumours,” Doyle noted.Brown would be the fifth Ivy League institution targeted by the Trump administration, which is leveraging federal funding to enforce its policies on campuses. Numerous universities — including all Ivy League schools except Penn and Dartmouth — are currently under federal investigation for alleged antisemitism following a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year.Columbia University was the first to be impacted, losing $400 million in federal funds and facing additional funding threats unless it improved safety for Jewish students. Last month, the university agreed to a range of federal demands, such as revising student disciplinary procedures and reviewing its Middle East studies department.Subsequently, around $175 million in federal funding was suspended from the University of Pennsylvania over a transgender swimmer who previously competed for the school. On Monday, a federal task force on antisemitism reported it was reviewing close to $9 billion in grants and contracts at Harvard University as part of a broader inquiry into campus antisemitism.

And on Tuesday, Princeton University reported that numerous federal research grants had been suspended by the administration.This mounting pressure has posed a significant challenge for U.S. universities, which depend heavily on federal research support as a primary income source.The Trump administration has vowed to adopt a more forceful stance on antisemitism at colleges, accusing former President Joe Biden of being too lenient. It has launched fresh investigations, and detained or deported multiple foreign students linked to pro-Palestinian protests. Last month, an incoming assistant professor of medicine at Brown was deported to Lebanon after “openly admitting” to supporting a Hezbollah leader and attending his funeral, according to the Department of Homeland Security.During last year’s student protests against the Israel-Hamas conflict, Brown drew attention for striking an agreement with student activists: in return for dismantling an encampment, the university promised to allow its governing board to vote on divesting from companies accused of enabling Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.Brown’s governing body later declined the divestment request.