Columbia Strikes Deal, but Federal Science Funding Outlook Remains Bleak

On July 24, 2025, Columbia University reached an agreement with the Trump administration to restore the majority of the $400 million in federal research funding that had been frozen or canceled earlier that year. The deal required the university to pay $200 million and make some policy changes, but it allowed Columbia's world-class research enterprise to continue, at least for the time being.

While the agreement saved Columbia's own research programs, the broader outlook for federal science funding remains bleak. The White House has proposed a 40% cut to the budget of the National Institutes of Health, the main source of medical research funding from the federal government, although a Senate committee has resisted the steep reduction. Additionally, an executive order signed by President Trump in August 2025 requires additional review of federal scientific grant awards, further adding to the uncertainty.

Researchers at Columbia, including three Nobel Prize winners, are divided on the wisdom of the deal. Some express relief that the university's funding crisis was averted, while others are upset that their life's work was used as a bargaining chip. The overall funding pressure has led Columbia and other research universities to institute hiring freezes, cut expenses, and reduce the number of students they will educate.

The disruption to the pipeline of young researchers is a particular concern, as interest from postdoctoral trainees from abroad has dwindled, and many departments have accepted half as many Ph.D. students this year as they normally would. Scientists warn that the effects of the current funding uncertainty will be "long-lasting and detrimental" to the American research enterprise.