(WENY) -- The Trump administration has paused more than $1 billion in funding for Cornell University as the school faces federal investigations over civil rights complaints. On Wednesday, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand spoke out against the cuts.

Since the funding cuts were announced at Cornell, the Defense Department has canceled over 75 research grants at the university. Senator Gillibrand says this will affect research done at Cornell that helps keep Americans safe and healthy.

According to the New York Times, the pause involved grants and contracts with Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, and Health and Human Services.

Gillibrand says, in turn, Cornell stopping these projects could affect cancer and medical research, agricultural research that helps secure farms, keep crops safe from invasive species, ensure food security, and more. She adds that cutting the budget is "absurd: and it doesn't address the concerns Trump has.


The cuts have been related to various issues like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and protests against the war in Gaza.

"So President Trump's stated objective for these cuts is to insist that these campuses eradicate anti-Semitism," said Senator Gillibrand. "I support eradicating anti-Semitism from all campuses. I think that is a very valuable and important statement, but that's not what these cuts are about. These cuts are ideologic, about punishing universities in blue states, punishing universities that are not kowtowing to President Trump."

Additionally, Northwestern University and Harvard are also being hit with cuts. Northwestern is seeing a hit of around $790 million and Harvard is seeing threats of losing nearly $9 billion.

Last week, Harvard was informed that those funds would be cut unless the school cut DEI programs and banned masks at campus protests.

A Trump official states that the cuts are connected to a Title VI investigation which is a federal statute that prohibits discrimination in programs that receive federal funding.

Representatives from Cornell University say they have seen reports of the cuts but have not been officially notified.