On Monday, Harvard University rejected demands from the Trump administration that it said would hand control of the institution to a conservative government, which has portrayed universities as dangerously left-leaning. In response, the Trump administration announced it would freeze $2.3 billion in federal funding to the school.
The freeze follows the administration’s review of $9 billion in federal contracts and grants to Harvard, part of its crackdown on what it calls antisemitism linked to pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses over the past 18 months.
The Department of Education’s antisemitism task force accused Harvard of having a “troubling entitlement mindset” that fails to uphold civil rights laws. This dispute has raised alarms about free speech and academic freedom, with the administration freezing millions in federal funding to various universities while pressuring them to address antisemitism on campus.
Harvard President Alan Garber defended the university’s position in a public letter, arguing that the demands would allow the federal government to control the university’s operations and threaten its values as a private institution. He stated, “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they admit, or which areas of study they pursue.”
The conflict began after pro-Palestinian protests erupted on several campuses following the 2023 Hamas attack in Israel. In response, the Trump administration initiated deportation proceedings for some foreign students involved in demonstrations and canceled visas for others.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields stated that the president’s actions were aimed at addressing what he called unchecked antisemitism in higher education, asserting that taxpayer dollars should not fund universities supporting racial discrimination or violence.
In addition, the Department of Education demanded that Harvard reduce the influence of faculty, staff, and students more committed to activism than scholarship. It also called for an external audit of each department to ensure “viewpoint diversity” and to ensure the university hires faculty and admits students solely based on merit, while ceasing any race-based preferences.
Harvard, meanwhile, is working to secure $750 million in loans from Wall Street to offset any potential funding loss due to the freeze.
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