The Trump administration has frozen over $2 billion in federal funding earmarked for Harvard University after the institution refused to comply with sweeping directives from the White House intended to tackle antisemitism on campus.
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The move came just hours after Harvard publicly rejected a list of measures sent by the administration, which included significant interventions in how the university handles hiring, curriculum, admissions, and internal investigations.
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Since his re-election, President Donald Trump has targeted elite academic institutions, pushing reforms under the threat of withdrawing government support—most of it directed towards research. Harvard is the first major university to openly defy the effort.
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The White House’s letter, obtained by the New York Times, accused Harvard of failing to meet the “intellectual and civil rights conditions” required for federal funding and proposed ten broad changes. These included:
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Reporting students “hostile” to American values
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Ensuring “viewpoint diversity” within academic departments
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Subjecting certain departments to government-approved audits
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Screening faculty for plagiarism
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Mandating disciplinary actions over past campus protests
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The administration insists these measures are meant to protect Jewish students in the wake of widespread campus protests last year over the Israel-Gaza conflict and Washington's role in it.
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Harvard, however, maintains that the demands infringe on academic independence and constitutional protections.
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“Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the 'intellectual conditions' at Harvard,” said university president Alan Garber. He added, “Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights under the First Amendment protecting free speech.”
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Shortly after Garber’s statement, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed it had frozen $2.2 billion in research grants and an additional $60 million in federal contracts.
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“Harvard's statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges,” the department said, stressing that campus unrest and harassment of Jewish students could not be tolerated.
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David Armitage, a professor of history at Harvard, called the decision political retaliation. “It's a not unexpected act of entirely groundless and vengeful activity by the Trump administration which wants nothing more than to silence freedom of speech,” he told the BBC.
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The conflict echoes a similar situation at Columbia University, which complied with federal demands last month after losing $400 million in funding. Harvard professors have responded to the pressure by filing a lawsuit, accusing the government of unlawfully targeting freedom of expression and academic integrity.
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With a $53 billion endowment, Harvard may be better positioned than others to resist the financial pressure. However, the broader implications of federal overreach into higher education are drawing concern nationwide.
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In recent polling by Gallup, confidence in higher education has declined, especially among Republicans, amid growing sentiment that universities are ideologically driven.
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Meanwhile, tensions around pro-Palestinian activism on campuses persist. Earlier on Monday, immigration officials detained Mohsen Mahdawi—a green card holder and student protest leader at Columbia—during a U.S. citizenship interview. Other student activists from universities such as Tufts and Columbia have also been taken into custody in recent weeks.
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