U.S. mulls Columbia University funding cuts over anti-Semitism row

U.S. government considers cutting $50 million in contracts with Columbia University over alleged failure to protect Jewish students.

The U.S. government said it was considering scrapping more than $50 million in contracts with New York's Columbia University over allegations it failed to protect Jewish students.

The prestigious Ivy League school found itself at the center of a firestorm last year over claims of anti-Semitism triggered by campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza.

Also read | Columbia’s President resigns after months of turmoil punctuated by clashes over Israel-Hamas war

Some Jewish students and campaign groups said Jewish students were intimidated and that authorities did not act to protect them.

The protests that roiled Columbia and other U.S. schools culminated in Congress grilling higher education leaders about accusations of anti-Semitism and whether enough was being done to keep Jewish students safe.

Columbia's president Minouche Shafik resigned last August just weeks before the start of the new school year, citing scrutiny she faced over her handling of the demonstrations.

"Given Columbia's ongoing inaction in the face of relentless harassment of Jewish students, the Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the Health Department, education department and U.S. General Services Administration said in a joint statement Monday.