McMahon says the school’s interim president admitted that “this is her responsibility to ensure that the children on her campus are safe.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Columbia University is heading in the right direction to collect federal funds after Columbia agreed to enact several policy changes ordered by the Trump administration.
In an interview with Dana Bash on Sunday about CNN’s “coalition status,” McMahon said he had a “great conversation” with Katrina Armstrong, interim president of the university.
“She said she knew this was her responsibility to make sure the kids on her campus were safe,” McMahon said. “She wanted to make sure there was no discrimination of any kind. She wanted to address the systemic issues identified in relation to campus anti-Semitism.”
The Trump administration cancelled $400 million earlier this month with research grants and other funding from Columbia University. He cited how the school handled the pro-Palestinian protests that criticized Israel’s military response to Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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Armstrong also said the school’s Judiciary Committee for Student Disciplinary Actions will consist of administrators and faculty members. Colombia will increase public safety staff to deal with the destructive situation, she added.
Some faculty members and free speech groups at some universities have condemned Armstrong’s decision, accusing him of succumbing to government interference in academic freedom.
Bash asked McMahon if Columbia University did enough to recover funds.
“We’re now on the right track and we’re sure we have final negotiations in place to unlock the money,” she said.
Aaron Gifford and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
