AJC Statement on University Funding Cuts

American Jewish Committee (AJC) has repeatedly insisted that universities must take action to counter and prevent antisemitism on their campuses. However, the broad, sweeping, and devastating cuts in federal funding that a growing number of American research universities have been subjected to in recent weeks, under the auspices of combating antisemitism, will damage America's standing as a center of innovation and research excellence.

Funding cuts or freezes are essential tools of last resort when addressing discrimination in federally funded programs. All efforts to remedy problems in educational institutions - including those to rectify antisemitism - must be plainly understood, publicly transparent, and specifically targeted to address the problem, and must not curtail the autonomy and academic freedom of higher education institutions that allow them to pursue their essential work. Overly broad, arbitrary cuts pose a profound threat to the survival of America's leading universities. AJC's Center for Education Advocacy is urging university leadership to publicly affirm their commitment to strategic and meaningful action to counter antisemitism, including by taking the steps outlined in AJC's Confronting Campus Antisemitism: An Action Plan for University Administrators. These steps include establishing clearer guardrails for faculty to bring teaching and supervision into line with standards of academic freedom and away from partisan activism, and creating frameworks for constructive dialogue that enable faculty, administrators, and students to sustain healthy conversations on a range of challenging topics across their campuses.

AJC is working closely with university administrators across the country to advise campus leadership and those in the Trump Administration who demonstrate a sincere commitment to constructively address campus antisemitism in ways that will also preserve America's preeminence in academic and life-saving research.

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York City, 25 offices across the United States, and 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.

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