Los angeles: The University of California (UCLA) is scrambling to salvage over $300 million in federal research funding suspended by the Trump administration, amid allegations that UCLA failed to curb antisemitism on campus during the 2024 Israel-Hamas protests.

According to Anadolu Agency, UC President James Milliken stated that the university will engage with federal authorities to protect a total of $584 million in jeopardized funds, warning that the loss could severely impact innovative work that benefits public health, the economy, and national security. Milliken emphasized that the funding cuts do not address the issues of antisemitism.

The US Justice Department had sent a letter on July 29 to Milliken's office, accusing UCLA of being "deliberately indifferent to a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students," referencing reports of harassment and restricted campus access. The department provided the university with a deadline to seek a "voluntary resolution" or face a federal lawsuit in September.

Some faculty members have expressed concerns about negotiating with the administration. Michael Chwe, a political science professor and board member of the UCLA Faculty Association, stated that negotiating might legitimize demands perceived as unjust.

The Justice Department's letter did not mention a violent counter-protest involving masked pro-Israel attackers and allegations of police inaction. UCLA has also recently settled a separate lawsuit concerning campus antisemitism, agreeing to donate over $2 million to Jewish groups and committing to disciplinary reforms.

The university is now the first major public institution to be targeted in a federal funding crackdown, which had previously concentrated on Ivy League schools. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Trump administration has frozen over $5 billion in federal funding to at least eight top US universities, including Columbia, Brown, and Harvard, the latter of which is contesting the action in court.

Some supporters of Palestine argue that the US government wrongly associates their protests for Palestinian rights with antisemitism, noting that there are Jewish groups critical of Israel's policies and human rights record.