President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that Columbia University will pay $200 million to the federal government as part of a settlement over its handling of anti-Israel protests.
In addition, Trump said the university will pay $20 million to Jewish employees “who were unlawfully targeted and harassed.” In return, the Trump administration will unfreeze federal funding and close several investigations into the Ivy League school.
“I am pleased to announce that the Trump Administration has reached a historic agreement with Columbia University. Columbia has agreed to pay a penalty of $200 Million Dollars to the United States Government for violating Federal Law, in addition to over $20 Million to their Jewish employees who were unlawfully targeted and harassed. Columbia has also committed to ending their ridiculous DEI policies, admitting students based ONLY on MERIT, and protecting the Civil Liberties of their students on campus,” Trump posted on TRUTH Social.
“Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money, much of it from our government, are upcoming,” Trump added. “It’s a great honor to have been involved, and I want to thank and congratulate Secretary Linda McMahon, and all those who worked with us on this important deal. I also want to thank and commend Columbia University for agreeing to do what is right. I look forward to watching them have a great future in our Country, maybe greater than ever before!”
In the settlement, Columbia agreed to review its Middle East-related programs and task its senior vice provost with making recommendations to university leaders about “ways to improve and support Jewish students.” Columbia said in a statement that it does “not admit to wrongdoing with this resolution agreement” but recognized that “Jewish students and faculty have experienced painful, unacceptable incidents.”
The settlement also includes a provision prohibiting the university from creating DEI programs.
“Columbia shall not maintain programs that promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas, diversity targets, or similar efforts. For example, Columbia will not provide benefits or advantages to individuals on the basis of protected characteristics in any school, component, division, department, foundation, association or element within the entire Columbia University system,” the settlement says.
🚨 BREAKING: Columbia University caves to President Trump — agrees to pay a $200 MILLION settlement to the federal government
This comes after the university allowed RAMPANT pro-Palestine riots on their campus, and was accused by the Trump administration of discriminating… pic.twitter.com/2D9xdFOwk1
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 24, 2025
More over at the New York Post:
Columbia University to pay out more than $220M after violating Jewish students’ civil rights in massive win for Trump admin https://t.co/uTya1td6Fl pic.twitter.com/mhw4wBvpwN
— New York Post (@nypost) July 23, 2025
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