University Of California Sues Trump Administration Over Funding Freeze
Labor unions, faculty and students in the University of California education system sued President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday over the freezing of federal funds and other actions that they say aim to stifle academic freedom.
- Date & Time:
- |
- Views: 27
- |
- From: India News Bull
The University of California, one of America's largest higher education systems, has initiated legal action against President Donald Trump's administration.
Washington:
On Tuesday, a coalition comprising labor unions, faculty members, and students within the University of California system filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration, alleging that the freezing of federal funds and other measures were designed to suppress academic freedom.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the legal action seeks to prohibit the government from employing financial threats against the educational system, which the plaintiffs describe as both harmful and unlawful. The lawsuit also demands the restoration of funding that has already been suspended.
"The administration has implemented a strategy to intimidate colleges and universities," stated the coalition behind the lawsuit. They further alleged that these threats stemmed from contempt for the institutions' curriculum content, expressive activities on campuses, and initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Neither the University of California system nor the White House provided immediate responses regarding the lawsuit.
The government has initiated investigations into universities' management of alleged antisemitism during student demonstrations against Israel's military operations in Gaza, and has suspended funding over this issue and others, including climate initiatives and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs.
Civil rights advocates contend that the Trump administration is attempting to reshape universities to align with its political agenda, while critics also view such efforts as endangering free speech and academic independence.
Operating one of the nation's largest higher-education networks, the University of California encompasses 10 main campuses with nearly 300,000 students and employs approximately 265,000 faculty and staff members.
The Trump administration had proposed resolving its investigation into the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - part of the university system - through a $1 billion settlement payment from the institution. California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom characterized this as an extortion attempt.
UCLA reported in August that the government had frozen $584 million in funding before a judge ordered the Trump administration to restore a portion of those funds. The University of California, Berkeley, another campus within the system, disclosed on Friday that it had provided information about 160 faculty members and students to the government as part of an ongoing investigation.
University of California President James Milliken stated on Monday that the institution faces one of the most significant threats in its history due to federal government actions, highlighting that it receives over $17 billion annually in federal support.
The Trump administration has encountered legal obstacles in its funding freeze attempts. Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that it had illegally terminated more than $2 billion in grants for Harvard University.
The government alleges that universities permitted antisemitism during campus protests. Protesters, including certain Jewish groups, have argued that the government wrongly equates criticism of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Human rights advocates have observed increases in antisemitism, anti-Arab bias, and Islamophobia related to Middle East conflicts, although the Trump administration has not announced investigations into Islamophobia.
The administration has reached settlement agreements with Columbia and Brown universities regarding its investigations.