After the Trump administration suspended research funding from the University of California, Los Angeles over claims of antisemitism, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the freeze “cruel manipulation.”
Last week the Trump administration sent a notice to UCLA that it was suspending all science and medical research funding.
“This is not only a loss to the researchers who rely on critical grants. It is a loss for Americans across the nation whose work, health and future depend on the groundbreaking work we do,” said UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk in a statement.
This abrupt funding freeze comes after claims from the U.S. Department of Justice that UCLA violated federal civil rights laws in dealing with antisemitism on campus, following pro-Palestine protests since Oct. 7, 2023 and the start of the Israel-Hamas War.
“It’s unfortunate that we in the sciences are penalized for the bad behavior of non-science departments — departments that don’t rely on NSF (National Science Foundation) funding and have been hijacked by political activists,” Dr. Judea Pearl, director of the UCLA Cognitive Systems laboratory, said.
Around 800 grants total were frozen: 300 grants from the National Science Foundation, 500 from the National Institutes of Health, among others. UCLA released the full list of each grant average, ranging from $20,000 to $30,000, totaling approximately $200 million.
“We share the goal of eradicating antisemitism across society. Antisemitism has no place on our campus, nor does any form of discrimination,” Chancellor Frenk said. “We recognize that we can improve, and I am committed to doing so.”
Along with this grant freeze, the administration is requiring an interim financial report within 30 days detailing all project expenses to date, according to an email sent to UCLA students by Roger Wakimoto, the vice chancellor for research and creative activities.
In a statement, Newsom called the funding critical dollars that go toward important research.
“Freezing critical research funding for UCLA – dollars that were going to study invasive diseases, cure cancer, and build new defense technologies – makes our country less safe. It is a cruel manipulation to use Jewish students’ real concerns about Antisemitism on campus as an excuse to cut millions of dollars in grants that were being used to make all Americans safer and healthier,” Newsom said. “This is the action of a president who doesn’t care about students, Californians, or Americans who don’t comply with his MAGA ways.”
The Center Square reached out to the chancellor’s office for a copy of the notice, but did not receive a response.
