Barb Van Andel-Gaby Chairman of Heritage Foundation - Economy | Official Website
The Heritage Foundation has publicly supported the Trump administration's decision to withdraw approximately $400 million in federal grants from Columbia University. This action was taken after the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism conducted a "comprehensive review" of the university’s federal funding and contracts, citing "continued inaction in the face of the persistent harassment of Jewish students."
Victoria Coates, vice president of the Kathyrn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at Heritage, stated that Columbia University has failed to protect its Jewish students from increasing antisemitism, particularly following terrorist attacks on October 7th, 2023, in Israel. Coates criticized the university for fostering an environment hostile to Jewish students and suggested that similar measures should be considered at other universities.
Jason Bedrick, Research Fellow at the Center for Education Policy, described this move as a positive step. He highlighted that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs. Bedrick emphasized that by holding Columbia accountable for not protecting its students from discriminatory harassment, other universities are being warned to comply with federal law or risk losing federal funding.
Heritage and the National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism have long advocated for rescinding federal funds from universities accused of promoting antisemitism. They have published several pieces highlighting concerns about how taxpayer dollars might support such actions.
