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Cornell wins back $250 million in federal funding: What’s the deal with White House?
Cornell University and the White House had reached an agreement with the administration to restore roughly $250 million in federal funding.
Cornell University reached an agreement with the White House on Friday to restore approximately $250 million in federal funding, becoming the latest school to negotiate with the Trump administration, which pulled funding for major US schools.
Cornell University and the White House had reached an agreement with the administration to restore roughly $250 million in federal funding that had been under review.
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Cornell is the fifth university and fourth Ivy League school to ink a deal with the White House, after the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Brown and the University of Virginia. It is only the second to agree to pay a direct fine to the government, after Colombia committed to paying $200 million in July.
What's the deal between Cornell and White House?
As part of the deal, the Trump administration will restore approximately $250 million in federal funding that it had blocked earlier this year.
In exchange, Cornell University will invest $30 million over three years in agricultural research and pay an additional $30 million directly to the US government to settle pending claims of wrongdoing.
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Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said the deal safeguards the university’s independence.
“The agreement explicitly recognises Cornell’s right to independently establish our policies and procedures, choose whom to hire and admit, and determine what we teach, without intrusive government monitoring or approvals,” Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in a letter to the university community.
The agreement doesn’t specify the imposition of an independent monitor, as was the case in a settlement reached between Columbia University and the federal government.
How did the Trump administration react?
The White House hailed the settlement as a major win for its reform agenda.
The White House lauded the deal, saying Trump delivered a “major win.” Trump spokesperson Liz Huston, in a statement, said, “academic excellence, merit, and accountability will continue to be restored across America’s universities.”
The Trump administration, as part of its broader campaign targeting several prominent universities, withheld funds from institutions such as Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University, prompting them to align with the Trump administration’s agenda.
