US Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated on Sunday that Columbia University is making progress toward regaining federal funding following the institution’s agreement to implement key policy changes demanded by the Trump administration.

Speaking on CNN’s "State of the Union", McMahon described productive discussions with Columbia’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong.

"She said she knew that this was her responsibility to make sure that children on her campus were safe," McMahon said, adding, "She wanted to make sure there was no discrimination of any kind. She wanted to address any systemic issues that were identified relative to the antisemitism on campus."

On Friday, Armstrong announced a series of reforms at Columbia, including placing the university’s Middle East studies department under new oversight, revising protest and student discipline policies, and adopting a new definition of antisemitism.

Columbia also pledged to promote “intellectual diversity” by expanding its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, according to an official statement.

The measures were a response to the Trump administration’s withdrawal of federal grants and contracts from Columbia, citing the university’s failure to protect Jewish students. The university had been at the center of pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrations that disrupted campuses across the country last year.

Columbia later signalled a willingness to cooperate with the Trump administration in order to restore the funding, which Armstrong acknowledged would "immediately impact research and other critical functions."

Asked on Sunday whether Columbia had done enough to have its funding reinstated, McMahon told CNN, "We are on the right track now to make sure the final negotiations to unfreeze that money will be in place."