Trump admin negotiates fines with elite universities to restore funding
The Trump administration is in talks with several prominent universities for them to pay fines in order to restore federal funding, following the blueprint set by negotiations with Columbia University.
The administration is negotiating with Cornell University, Duke University, and Northwestern University.
The Trump administration is in talks with several prominent universities for them to pay fines in order to restore federal funding, following the blueprint set by negotiations with Columbia University.
The administration is negotiating with Cornell University, Duke University, and Northwestern University. The federal government is reportedly nearing deals with Northwestern and Cornell.
On July 30, the administration cut a deal with Brown University, which agreed to pay $50 million to workforce development programs.
Earlier this year, the federal government froze $1 billion to Cornell, $790 million to Northwestern, and $108 million to Duke.
A spokesperson from Cornell declined to comment.
In the case of Duke, whose funding was just frozen, the administration alleged that the institution violated civil rights laws by using race-based preferences in hiring and admissions, violating Supreme Court precedent.
The Trump administration has particularly prioritized a deal with Harvard University, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, negotiations with Harvard have so far proved unsuccessful, MassLive reports.
Recently, the federal government came to an agreement with Columbia University, which agreed to pay more than $220 million in fines in return for the White House restoring funds that had been frozen.
Former Harvard President Lawrence Summers applauded the deal, saying the day it was signed “may be the best day higher education has had in the last year.”
“Based on what I have read and heard so far, the agreement reached between the Federal government and Columbia is an excellent template for agreements with other institutions including Harvard,” Summers posted to X on July 24.
“First, academic freedom is preserved as the University maintains academic autonomy,” Summers explained. “Second, ongoing reform with respect to anti Semitism, maintenance of order, promoting merit-based admissions and hiring, and strengthening the commitment to intellectual excellence is reinforced and a framework for further reform is established.”
Trump recently stated that Harvard “wants to settle,” contending “ultimately, we win that case. And the bottom line is we’re not going to give any more money to Harvard.”
Reportedly, Harvard may spend significantly more money than Columbia to restore its frozen funding.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon reaffirmed the administration’s hope that Harvard will negotiate, according to The New York Post.
“We’re hoping that Harvard will come to the table,” McMahon stated last week. “We’re already seeing other universities that are taking these measures before investigation or before our coming in to talk to them.”
Campus Reform has also contacted Brown University, Duke University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
