Federal pressure on colleges escalated this fall as the Trump administration froze research grants at multiple campuses and pushed for administrative settlements. A growing tracker documents which institutions have had funds withheld and which have negotiated to restore payments, a process that has already led several universities to accept reporting and policy conditions to regain access to federal dollars. The campaign targets alleged antisemitism and DEI practices across higher education. A federal judge warned that the administration’s tactics can chill faculty speech and research, citing cases in which political pressure affected teaching and scholarship. The tracker shows a fragmented response across campuses: some litigate, others negotiate to limit disruption to research programs and personnel. Universities and research offices now face heightened legal and compliance workloads as they weigh the costs of litigation versus the operational certainty of settlements. Campus leaders must balance academic freedom concerns with the near-term need to sustain labs, graduate stipends and sponsored projects.