University of Washington cuts costs in response to possible loss of state, federal funding under Trump admin

The University of Washington (UW) has announced a hiring freeze of non-essential staff and faculty as well as efforts to cut costs in response to the possibility of losing state and federal funding. UW is one of 60 universities under investigation by the Trump administration's DOE over antisemitism on campus.

Tricia Serio, UW provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, wrote in a blog post, “Despite a good financial position, unprecedented and rapid policy changes at the federal level have increased the risk of funding cuts that threaten the University’s financial stability.”

“At the state level, a significant budget shortfall is leading our legislature to grapple with a range of measures including budget cuts and furloughs, although the latter are particularly ill-suited to higher education because the cost of implementation minimizes the actual savings realized. Nonetheless, these risks together have the potential to jeopardize the full scope of our work, including existing and new research projects, patient care, instruction, and basic operations.”

Due to out-of-control spending, Washington state is facing a $6-15 billion dollar budget gap. Governor Bob Ferguson has proposed $4 billion in cuts, but Democrats in the legislature are gearing up to offset the remainder with new taxes.

On Monday, UW found itself on a list from the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of 60 institutions of higher education, including many Ivy League schools, that were sent letters 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, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities.

The universities on the list are currently under investigation for Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination. On Friday, the Trump administration canceled $400 million funding to Columbia University for failing to address antisemitic attacks on Jewish students.

UW receives approximately $1.37 billion in federal funding.

Last year, UW received the dubious distinction of being one of the "most anti-Jewish" colleges in the US after failing to address antisemitism on campus that erupted following Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on Israel. On Monday, UW earned a “D” grade from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in a report card evaluating 135 US schools over the handling of antisemitism on campus.

In the waning days of the Biden administration, many schools on the list including UW settled civil rights cases with no real penalties or punishments.

The Trump administration has also threatened to cut funding for certain research. 

Serio added that UW will cancel non-essential travel and training, decrease discretionary spending, renegotiate or end non-essential external service contracts, and opt into shared services.