Harvard University is defying a series of demands from the Trump administration, potentially putting nearly $9 billion in federal funding at risk.
In a letter released Monday, Harvard President Alan Garber stated that the university “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights” in response to the administration’s proposed conditions.
The Trump administration is pressuring Harvard to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, shift to merit-based admissions and hiring practices, and cooperate with immigration enforcement, or face losing billions in federal grants. Garber warned that such a loss would “halt life-saving research.”
This move marks the first major instance of a prominent university pushing back against funding threats from the Trump administration.
In a separate letter Friday, the administration criticized Harvard for allegedly failing to uphold “intellectual and civil rights standards” tied to federal funding.
The administration outlined demands including changes to the school’s leadership structure, elimination of DEI programs, adoption of merit-based hiring, and mandatory audits to ensure “viewpoint diversity.”
Harvard responded by reaffirming its commitment to fostering a “welcoming and supportive learning environment” and combating antisemitism, but rejected the administration’s demands as excessive.
“The administration’s proposal exceeds the federal government’s authority, violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights, and threatens the core values of a private institution dedicated to knowledge and academic freedom,” Garber wrote.
“No government — regardless of political affiliation — should control what private universities teach, whom they hire or admit, or what they choose to research.”
This exchange comes just days after Harvard faculty members filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to block the administration’s attempts to withhold federal funds.
The lawsuit argues that the funding threat poses an “existential gun to the head” for the university.
Filed Friday by the American Association of University Professors and its Harvard chapter, the lawsuit claims the administration is bypassing proper procedures under the Civil Rights Act and using funding threats to push political agendas.
It challenges the legality of the administration’s ultimatum, which includes cutting $255 million in direct funding and nearly $9 billion in long-term grants unless Harvard complies with the policy overhaul.
“These broad and vague demands don’t address specific violations of federal law but instead aim to impose political ideology on Harvard and suppress speech the administration disfavors,” the suit states.
The standoff comes amid a wider crackdown on elite universities. Last month, Columbia University agreed to comply with similar federal demands after its funding was suspended over concerns related to campus protests and antisemitism.
The Trump administration has also launched investigations into Cornell and Northwestern Universities, freezing over $1 billion in funding to Cornell and $790 million to Northwestern as part of those probes into alleged civil rights violations.
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