The Donald Trump administration has cut off federal support for Princeton University, an Ivy League institution in the United States, according to a report by the Associated Press on 1st (local time).
According to the report, President Chris Eisgruber noted in a letter sent to students and staff that he received notification of the termination of various research grants from U.S. federal agencies.
Eisgruber stated in the letter that he received notifications of grant terminations from federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, the Ministry of National Defense, and NASA, saying, "The basis for this action is still unclear." He did not disclose the specific scale of the grant terminations.
Eisgruber said, "We are working to fight against all forms of discrimination, including anti-Semitism, and we will cooperate with the government to combat anti-Semitism. Furthermore, Princeton will strongly defend academic freedom and the rights of legitimate procedural due process for universities."
Amid investigations into anti-Semitism on university campuses by the Trump administration, Princeton is the fourth Ivy League university to have its federal funding cut or threatened.
Previously, the Trump administration has been cutting support for Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University. On 7th of last month, Columbia had $400 million (about 590 billion won) worth of federal contracts and grants canceled, and the University of Pennsylvania had $175 million (about 260 billion won) worth of funding cut due to its transgender sports policy.
The Trump administration announced at the end of last month that it would review a contract worth $255.6 million (about 380 billion won) with Harvard University. Grants totaling $8.7 billion (12.8 trillion won) provided over several years are also under review.
The pressure for the suspension and review of subsidies aimed at Ivy League universities is seen as part of the culture war led by the Trump administration, aimed at eradicating anti-Semitism on college campuses. Previously, the Ministry of Education sent letters to 60 universities in the U.S., warning that they would face civil rights actions if they failed to protect Jewish students on campus.