Columbia University not even close to meeting Trumps demands to restore $400M in funding, antisemitism task force chief says

The head of the federal task force to combat antisemitism dismissed “rumors” Thursday that Columbia University was nearing a deal to restore $400 million in federal funds frozen by the Trump administration, arguing that the Ivy League school was “not even close” to meeting President Trump’s demands. “There was a rumor out there that there was a settlement approaching to restore Columbia’s $400 billion that we froze.Let me be very clear to your listeners and to the nation and to the Jewish American community.

That’s not true,” task force chief Leo Terrell told John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby during an appearance on “Cats & Cosby.”Local outlet WABC-TV and the Wall Street Journal have both reported that Columbia University was nearing a deal to meet nine preconditions set forth by the Trump administration that would allow it to consider restoring funding amounting to roughly 8% of the institution’s US-taxpayer funding. The administration demands for “formal negotiations” regarding the elite school’s “continued financial relationship with the United States government” to move forward include the school punishing those responsible for the violent takeover of Hamilton Hall in April 2024, moving the disciplinary process to the office of the president, implementing an on-campus mask ban, formalizing an antisemitism definition and placing the school’s Middle East, South Asian and African Studies departments under “academic receivership” for at least five years, which would give someone outside of the departments the power to make decisions for the faculty.“President Trump and [Attorney General] Pam Bondi have made it a commitment that this task force – we’re going to eradicate antisemitism at all of these schools, and I will submit to you, Rita, that’s not happening at this point at Columbia University,” Terrell said. “I will tell you right now that Columbia has not, in my opinion, and the opinion of the Department...