The federal government has announced it is suspending over $2.2 billion in grant funding and an additional $60 million in contracts to Harvard University following the institution's refusal to comply with the Trump administration’s directives aimed at curbing campus activism.
This funding freeze marks the seventh instance in which the Trump administration has taken such action against a leading U.S. university, primarily within the Ivy League, as part of an effort to bring institutions in line with the administration’s political stance.
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In a letter issued to Harvard on Friday, the administration demanded extensive changes, including reforms in university governance, admissions procedures, and a review of how diversity is addressed on campus. It also called for the disbandment of certain student organisations.
Officials warned that close to $9 billion in total federal support was at risk if Harvard did not cooperate.
Harvard President Alan Garber responded on Monday, affirming the university’s position against the government’s demands.
“The University will not compromise its independence or constitutional protections,” Garber wrote in a message to the Harvard community. “No administration — regardless of political affiliation — has the authority to dictate whom private institutions admit or employ, what they teach, or what areas of research they pursue.”
Just hours later, the federal government imposed the freeze on Harvard’s funding.
Columbia University was the first to be targeted under this policy and eventually complied under threat of financial loss. Similar measures have since been taken against the University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Princeton, Cornell, and Northwestern.
The Trump administration has made it increasingly routine to use federal funding as leverage to enforce political priorities within academic institutions. Officials claim that universities have failed to address antisemitism, particularly following last year’s protests opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.
Garber stated that Harvard had already implemented significant reforms to tackle antisemitism, but argued that most of the administration's demands had little to do with that issue and instead appeared to be attempts to exert control over the university’s intellectual direction.
He warned that withholding federal funds from Harvard — a global leader in scientific and medical research — could endanger public health and the nation’s economic stability. He also said the move violated Harvard’s First Amendment rights and overstepped the bounds of Title VI, which bans discrimination based on race, colour, or national origin.
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Among the government’s demands were the adoption of “merit-based” admissions and hiring practices and a review of faculty, students, and leaders regarding their stance on diversity. The administration also called for a ban on face coverings on campus — seemingly aimed at pro-Palestinian demonstrators — and urged Harvard to cut ties with any student group that endorses or promotes criminal activity, unlawful violence, or harassment.
According to the federal antisemitism task force, Harvard’s refusal to comply highlighted a “troubling entitlement mentality” among elite institutions and a disregard for the responsibilities that come with federal funding.
“The continued disruption of education on campuses is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students cannot be tolerated,” the task force stated Monday.
Former President Donald Trump has pledged a stricter approach to combating campus antisemitism, accusing President Joe Biden of being too lenient. His administration has launched new investigations, detained foreign students linked to pro-Palestinian protests, and deported several of them.
The administration’s demands led a group of Harvard alumni to issue a letter urging the university to legally challenge what they described as unlawful efforts that undermine academic freedom and university autonomy.
“Today, Harvard took a stand for the principles, values, and freedoms that underpin higher education,” said Anurima Bhargava, one of the alumni who co-authored the letter. “Harvard reminded the world that learning, discovery, and transformative progress cannot be dictated by authoritarian force.”
The government's pressure on Harvard has triggered a wave of resistance, including a weekend protest by students and Cambridge residents, as well as a lawsuit filed Friday by the American Association of University Professors.
In their suit, the plaintiffs argue that the administration failed to follow the proper legal procedures under Title VI, which require notification to both the university and Congress before funding is withdrawn.
“These sweeping and vague demands do not aim to resolve any legal violations,” the complaint states. “Rather, they openly seek to impose political ideologies and policy preferences of the Trump administration on Harvard University and require the institution to penalise speech that it disfavors.”