Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that “one of the “fears” of the university’s program promotes fear by focusing on surprising climate scenarios.”
The Commerce Department said Tuesday it would cut funding for Princeton University’s climate program by about $4 million.
Lutnick said the programs “no longer align with the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) current goals, and that ending funds will reduce federal costs and size.
He said that the Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System “promotes fear” because it focuses on surprising climate scenarios rather than encourage rational and balanced discussions among young people.
The other two programs focused on fluctuations in water availability and potential risks of climate change, including changes in precipitation patterns and changes in sea level rise.
“Using federal funds to perpetuate these stories is not consistent with this administration’s priorities, and such time and resources could be used better elsewhere,” the department said.
Related Stories
The department said it reached its decision after conducting a detailed review of the financial aid program against NOAA’s current program goals.
It added that reviews of personalized cooperation agreements, grant awards and other financial aid will continue “to avoid wasted government spending.”
Neither Princeton University nor NOAA responded to requests for comment at each publication time.
“Princeton University will comply with the law,” Eyesgoober said. “Princeton also vehemently defends the academic freedom and due process rights at this university.”
Princeton is now one of the federal institutions of higher education for anti-Semitism on campus caused by the Israeli Hamas War in Gaza, which began after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Bilpan contributed to this report.
