The Donald Trump administration has frozen over $1 billion in federal funding allocated to Cornell University, with an additional $790 million halted for Northwestern University amid ongoing investigations into alleged civil rights violations.
The White House confirmed the funding suspensions on Tuesday night, linking them to Trump’s broader push to penalize universities over pro-Palestinian protests, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and policies related to transgender rights.
However, officials did not provide details on the specific grants or how long the freeze would last.
Cornell University, in a statement, said it had received more than 75 stop-work orders from the Department of Defense earlier in the day.
These orders, the university noted, affect research projects critical to national defense, cybersecurity, and public health. Still, Cornell stated that it had not received direct confirmation of the reported $1 billion total in frozen funding.
Meanwhile, Northwestern University acknowledged reports of the funding freeze but said it had not yet received any formal notice from the federal government. The university also emphasized that it has been fully cooperative with federal investigators.
“Federal funds that Northwestern receives drive innovative and life-saving research, like the recent development by Northwestern researchers of the world’s smallest pacemaker, and research fueling the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
“This type of research is now in jeopardy,” a Northwestern spokesperson told Reuters.
