By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Johns Hopkins University said on Thursday it will slash over 2,000 jobs in the U.S. and abroad after the administration of President Donald Trump terminated $800 million in grants to the renowned academic institution.
It marked the biggest layoff in the university’s history and involved 247 domestic U.S. workers for the academic institution and another 1,975 positions outside the U.S. in 44 countries.
The job cuts impact the university’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, its medical school and affiliated non-profit for international health, Jhpiego.
“This is a difficult day for our entire community. The termination of more than $800 million in USAID funding is now forcing us to wind down critical work here in Baltimore and internationally,” the university said in a statement shared with media.
Since taking office on January 20, Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk have attempted to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The Trump administration has canceled more than 80% of all the programs at USAID following a six-week review, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday.
In addition to attacks on the U.S. foreign aid agency, the Trump administration is also probing 60 American universities, including Hopkins, over pro-Palestinian protests on campuses.
The Trump administration alleges protesters are antisemitic. Demonstrators deny the allegations and say the U.S. government is conflating their criticism of U.S. ally Israel’s military assault on Gaza with antisemitism.
Last week, the U.S. canceled $400 million in grants and contracts to New York’s Columbia University.
The Trump administration is also seeking to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student who has played a prominent role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Diane Craft)
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