Columbia University to Lay Off 180 Staff After Trump Revokes $400M in Federal Funding
Columbia University announced on Tuesday that it will lay off nearly 180 staff members following former President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke $400 million in federal funding. The funding cuts reportedly stem from the university’s handling of student protests against the war in Gaza.
Impact of Federal Funding Loss
According to a university statement, the layoffs affect approximately 20% of employees whose roles were partially or fully supported by the terminated federal grants. “We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,” the university said. “Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.”
University’s Response and Future Measures
University spokesperson Jessica Murphy declined to confirm whether additional layoffs are expected but stated that Columbia is implementing several measures to improve financial flexibility. These include maintaining current salary levels, offering voluntary retirement incentives, and scaling back research activities.
Research Projects Affected
The funding cuts will impact several critical research initiatives, including:
- Development of an antiviral nasal spray for infectious diseases
- Studies on maternal mortality and morbidity
- Treatment research for chronic conditions like long COVID
- Care for newborns with opioid withdrawal syndrome
- Colorectal cancer screenings
Some departments will wind down specific studies, while others will continue limited operations as they seek alternative funding sources.
Full credit to the original publisher: Daily Trust