Trump administration freezes $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard over campus activism
- Victor Nwoko
- Apr 15
- 3 min read
The federal government announced Monday night that it is freezing over $2 billion in grants and contracts to Harvard University after the institution refused to comply with demands issued by the Trump administration related to campus antisemitism and ideological oversight.
A statement from the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism confirmed the freeze, citing “the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges.” The freeze includes $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and an additional $60 million in multi-year federal contract value.
Harvard had earlier publicly rejected the administration’s terms, emphasizing its commitment to institutional independence. “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” a statement from the university read. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”
President Alan M. Garber addressed the Harvard community in an email, revealing that the university had received “an updated and expanded list of demands” from the administration, which warned that continued federal funding would be contingent on compliance. Among the 10 demands were calls for restrictions on international students perceived as “hostile to American values and institutions” and for a third-party audit of programs allegedly contributing to antisemitic harassment or ideological bias.
The administration also insisted that Harvard dismantle all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across hiring and admissions, replacing them with merit-based systems.
Garber described the conditions as “unprecedented,” stating they amounted to an attempt “to control the Harvard community” by regulating student and faculty viewpoints. Harvard notified the administration through legal counsel that it would not accept the conditions.
“It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,” Garber wrote. “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.”
In a formal letter, the university’s attorneys emphasized Harvard’s commitment to combating antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, but argued the administration’s demands overstepped legal boundaries and interfered with freedoms upheld by the Supreme Court.
“The government’s terms also circumvent Harvard’s statutory rights by requiring unsupported and disruptive remedies for alleged harms that the government has not proven through mandatory processes established by Congress and required by law,” the letter stated.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields defended the administration’s position and showed no signs of retracting the funding freeze. “President Trump is working to Make Higher Education Great Again by ending unchecked anti-Semitism and ensuring federal taxpayer dollars do not fund Harvard’s support of dangerous racial discrimination or racially motivated violence,” Fields said.
The administration has reportedly made similar demands of other universities. Last month, Columbia University agreed to a list of nine conditions that included banning students from wearing masks at protests, hiring 36 new campus security officers with arrest powers, and appointing a senior vice provost to oversee the Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies. That decision followed a federal funding cut of $400 million after the administration accused Columbia of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.
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