On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education froze more than $2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University, just hours after the university declined President Donald Trump’s demands for sweeping changes to its diversity policies.
A federal task force on combating antisemitism announced the suspension of $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and an additional $60 million in contract value.
The move escalates tensions between the Trump administration and elite universities, which it accuses of being dominated by left-leaning ideologies.
The Trump administration has already withheld hundreds of millions of dollars from other institutions, citing their alleged failure to adequately address antisemitism.
Authorities have also begun deportation proceedings for some foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, and hundreds of student visas have been revoked, sparking debate about academic freedom and freedom of expression.
Harvard firmly rejected the administration’s demands, which included ending diversity programs and making changes that the university says would compromise its core principles.
President Alan Garber said in a public statement that the proposed conditions would give the federal government excessive control over the institution and undermine its mission as a private university committed to the free exchange of ideas.
“No government—regardless of party—should control what private universities teach, who they admit or hire, or what areas of inquiry they pursue,” Garber wrote.
In response, the Department of Education said Garber’s remarks reflect a troubling “entitlement mindset” and argued that federal funding requires a commitment to civil rights compliance.
The controversy over campus antisemitism predates Trump’s second term and intensified after a wave of student-led pro-Palestinian demonstrations following the 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel and subsequent Israeli military actions in Gaza.
White House spokesman Harrison Fields stated that Trump is working to “Make Higher Education Great Again” by cracking down on antisemitism and preventing taxpayer dollars from supporting what it views as racially discriminatory or extremist behavior.
In its Friday letter to Harvard, the Education Department accused the university of prioritizing activism over scholarship and called for an external audit of each department to assess “viewpoint diversity.”
It also demanded that, by August, Harvard adopt a strictly merit-based admissions and hiring system and end all race-based preferences.
Furthermore, the university must begin screening international students to ensure alignment with American values and report violators to immigration authorities.
Last week, a group of Harvard professors filed a lawsuit to block the federal review of nearly $9 billion in government funding.
Meanwhile, the administration is reportedly considering a consent decree for Columbia University, which would bind it to comply with federal antisemitism guidelines.
Columbia has already seen $400 million in funding suspended, and several professors have also filed suit.
Garber denounced the administration’s push to “audit” the ideological leanings of Harvard’s community as a clear violation of First Amendment rights. “The University will not surrender its independence or constitutional protections,” he stated.
He emphasized that while Harvard is committed to combating antisemitism, federal intervention that bypasses legal norms to control academic life is unacceptable.
Earlier this year, Harvard agreed to bolster protections for Jewish students through a legal settlement addressing accusations of antisemitism on campus.
To help offset the impact of the funding freeze, the university is seeking to borrow $750 million from Wall Street.
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