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By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
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Democratic Senator John Fetterman on Friday threw his support behind President Donald Trump's decision to pull $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University over what the Trump administration characterized as a failure to crack down on antisemitism on campus.
The Context
College campuses across the country have erupted with student activism as pro-Palestine and pro-Israel students have clashed over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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Columbia made headlines last spring when pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and went on to occupy a campus building, leading to dozens of arrests.
What To Know
"Columbia let antisemitism run amok to cater to lunatic fringe and paid provocateurs," Fetterman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a headline about Trump pulling funding from the university.
"Leadership allowed those a******* to take over the campus and terrorize Jewish students," the Pennsylvania senator added. "Now, Columbia pays for its failure and I support that."
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The Trump administration's decision came three days after the president threatened to pull funding for any school or university that "allows illegal protests," adding that "agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came."
"American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter," the president added.
Trump's threat also came one day after his administration threatened to pull $51 million in federal contracts from Columbia over its "ongoing inaction in the face of relentless harassment of Jewish students."
This prompted immediate blowback from free speech advocates who accused the administration of violating the First Amendment by threatening pro-Palestine demonstrators with arrest and deportation.
Fetterman has been an ardent pro-Israel voice on Capitol Hill, breaking with more progressive members of the Democratic Party who have accused the Israeli government of violating international law and committing human rights abuses while bombarding Gaza in retaliation for Hamas's attack in Israel on October 7, 2023.
More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Millions have been displaced.
Fetterman has shown more openness to Trump in other ways.
Among other things, he's been criticized by his Democratic colleagues for calling for Trump to be pardoned over his hush-money conviction, joining Trump's Truth Social website, praising then-Republican Representative Elise Stefanik for her pro-Israel views, and being the first Democrat to meet with Pete Hegseth after Trump nominated him for secretary of Defense.
What People Are Saying
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, in a Friday statement: "Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding. For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus."
Nihad Awad, the national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), previously told Newsweek: "Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy and academic freedom. So are acts of peaceful civil disobedience. The students of the past who protested the Vietnam War, segregation and apartheid South Africa were technically violating the law when they refused orders to disperse their protests, sit-ins, and marches, but we celebrate those students today.
"Today, we should celebrate and protect the students who have peacefully protested U.S. support for the Israeli government's genocidal campaign of slaughter, destruction, ethnic cleansing, and starvation in Gaza.
"If President Trump wants students to stop protesting the genocide in Gaza, he should ensure that the genocide stops permanently. Otherwise, he should expect students to continue engaging in acts of peaceful protest and civil disobedience without fear of the federal government's unconstitutional, enforceable threats to crack down on free speech."
What Happens Next
Columbia said Friday that it would vehemently work to get the funding back.
"We take Columbia's legal obligations seriously and understand how serious this announcement is and are committed to combatting antisemitism and ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff," the university said.
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