Trump-instigated UCLA grant restrictions reversed by court order
Trump Administration Faced Legal Ruling to Restore UCLA Research Grants
The Trump administration's funding cuts to UCLA have led to a legal ruling ordering the restoration of some withheld grants due to the administration acting in violation of a prior court order and using arbitrary reasons for the suspensions.
The Controversial Funding Cuts
The administration had suspended hundreds of millions in research grants, primarily from the National Science Foundation (NSF), linking the cuts to allegations that UCLA had not adequately addressed antisemitism on campus, especially around a 2024 pro-Palestinian protest encampment.
The Legal Battle
UCLA and UC researchers challenged the funding cuts as abrupt, unexplained, and violating civil rights law protections without proper justification. In June, U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin ruled the initial grant terminations were arbitrary and capricious, prohibiting the NSF and other agencies from cutting funds without specifically explaining the reasons.
However, the NSF issued a new round of cuts through form letters citing vague reasons such as program goals, allegations of racism, antisemitism, and policies on transgender athletes, but without elaboration. Judge Lin found these new cuts continued to violate her earlier injunction, ruling that the NSF must reinstate the research grants or explain why not by August 19, 2025.
The Impact of the Funding Cuts
The Trump administration sought $1 billion from UCLA to settle federal allegations related to antisemitism, connected to campus protests in 2024 and a broader Justice Department probe into discrimination claims across the UC system. The funding suspensions caused severe disruptions in research on major health issues like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, forcing pauses in scientific studies and prompting fears of brain drain among researchers and students.
UCLA responded by pausing faculty hiring and consolidating IT teams as part of financial damage control.
The Settlement Proposal
While UCLA settled a related lawsuit concerning the protests for $6.45 million, the Justice Department’s civil rights lawsuit remains active. The administration’s demand for $1 billion from UCLA reflects a recent pattern after Columbia University settled for $221 million in similar antisemitism-related claims. UCLA leadership strongly opposed this settlement demand, framing it as part of a punitive political campaign against universities seen as not aligning with the Trump administration’s agenda.
The Future
The university confirmed that the funding impacted by the cuts totaled around $584 million. As of now, the Trump administration has not yet commented on the settlement proposal. The ruling ordered the Trump administration to restore a portion of UCLA's federal research grants that were suspended last month. No official statement has been made by UCLA regarding the settlement proposal.
[1] The Washington Post [2] The Los Angeles Times [3] Forbes [4] CNN [5] The New York Times
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