Last September, President Trump promised that colleges would be “held accountable for violations of the civil rights laws” if they were complacent about confronting violence against their Jewish students on campus. The past few weeks have yielded a flurry of actions from the administration, fulfilling that commitment to combat anti-Semitism and holding colleges across the nation accountable.

On March 7, the administration announced it had cut $400 million in federal grants and contracts from Columbia University, which served as an epicenter for anti-Semitism during the pro-Hamas protests last year. A statement released by the U.S. General Services Administration read, “Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Education (ED), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the immediate cancellation of approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”

A few days later, the Department of Education followed up with a press release of its own explaining that officials had “sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education” including Columbia, Yale, Berkely, and USC “warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.” All 60 colleges receiving letters from the Office for Civil Rights were listed in the press release.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said, “The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better.”

A second letter was sent on March 13 from the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and General Services Administration explaining, “U.S. taxpayers invest enormously in U.S. colleges and universities, including Columbia University, and it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that all recipients are responsible stewards of federal funds.” The letter asserted that Columbia has failed to protect students from “antisemitic violence” and violated “Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

The letter outlined nine steps the university must take as a “precondition for formal negotiations regarding Columbia University’s continued financial relationship with the United States government.” The requirements included a mask ban, a proposed plan for admissions reform, and enforcing already existing disciplinary policies. Already, the university has begun a significant course correction by revoking degrees, issuing expulsions, and suspending students.

Direct actions against the university weren’t the only source of retribution from the Trump administration over the last two weeks. Muhammad Khalid, a former student protestor who helped lead Columbia’s campus revolt last year, was arrested last week. Khalil played a prominent role in the protests last year by serving as a mediator between the protestors and the campus officials. He is currently being held by ICE, faced with the possibility of deportation.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defended the actions taken by Trump when he joined Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on “This Week on Capitol Hill” to discuss Khalil and the recent decisions made by the administration. Johnson told Perkins, “The White House and President Trump are not going to tolerate this, should not tolerate this, and we have been working against it since I became speaker.” He stressed the danger posed to students in this rise of anti-Semitism on campuses across the country. Johnson continued, “[Trump has] taken executive action rightfully [and] justifiably. Over the last couple of weeks, he eliminated $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University. That was long overdue. … Now he’s issued an executive order that will revoke the student visas of these pro-Hamas, [aspiring] young terrorists who are coming over here to study on our campuses.”

Johnson recalled his own visit to Columbia University last year when he saw students waving Hamas flags. “These are actual terrorist sympathizers [and] terrorist supporters,” the speaker insisted. He also addressed the argument that quelling these outbursts are somehow an “attack on free speech,” explaining that the protestors “are threatening physically their fellow students. When I was there in Columbia, Jewish students were having to meet off campus. They literally could not go to their college campus and take the courses that they paid for with their tuition, because the administrators told them not to come for fear of their own safety. And those same administrators refused to take control of their campuses.” He added, “The aggressive action by the White House and the Congress will continue until we stamp this out.”

Perkins inquired about Johnson’s experience as an attorney defending free speech, asking, “How has this crossed the line?”

The speaker pointed to the violence and destruction of property caused by the protestors last year. He said, “You don’t have a right to come to America. This is a privilege that you are granted by our government. If our government deems you to be a threat to public safety, you need to go back from where you came, and we’re going to enforce that. Finally, we have common sense restored to the White House and the State Department, and Marco Rubio is doing an extraordinary job with this.”

Perkins chimed in saying, “If you invited someone into your home as a guest, and they began to scream and yell at you and incite fear in your own home, you have a right to tell them to leave.” He also asked the speaker whether Columbia’s recent disciplinary actions taken against some of the protestors were a result of Trump removing $400 million in grants.

Johnson said he believes that Columbia is finally taking Republicans’ threats seriously with Trump in the White House. “When the president removed the $400 [million] in federal funds to the university, that suddenly got their attention,” Johnson agreed. “Now they’re pulling degrees and they’re disciplining students. We’ve got to watch them carefully for the follow through, because they’ll slither out of this again if allowed. We’re not going to allow it, because we have to do what’s right. We have to protect our Jewish students, and we have to call out with clarity good versus evil. It’s on stark display on these campuses.”