Columbia is in a dispute with the Trump administration over funding, The New York Times reports. The funding dispute is hindering the American media company’s plan to construct a new building that would house the school’s journalism and business programs. This would be the first physical change to the campus since the current president, Lee Bollinger, took office in 2003. In response to the funding dispute, Columbia, along with three organizations advocating for science and health research, has announced a lawsuit to challenge the administration’s “three five” rule. This rule seeks to limit funding for universities, with Columbia in particular affected by restrictions on its stem cell and fertility research programs. However, the fight is not just against the Trump administration, as right-wing Republicans in Congress seek to cut education budgets for community college and feel good programs for the poor. The lawsuit is aimed at blocking both these restrictions and the “three five” rule.
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