President Donald Trump is escalating pressure on Harvard University, moving to cut an additional $1 billion in federal funding after the Ivy League institution rejected demands for sweeping reforms tied to campus antisemitism.
The additional cuts come on the heels of a previously announced freeze of $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in contracts.
The White House’s latest funding rollback targets health research grants and comes amid what administration officials described as Harvard’s refusal to negotiate in good faith over a list of policy and leadership reforms proposed last week.
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According to sources who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, White House officials were surprised when Harvard publicly released a letter rejecting the administration’s terms, which they believed had been the starting point for private discussions.
The Department of Education’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism had earlier cited Harvard’s failure to address antisemitic incidents and rhetoric on campus as justification for halting federal support.
The department stated that if Harvard wished to continue receiving federal taxpayer dollars, it must “commit to meaningful change.”
Among the demands laid out in the administration’s letter were requirements for Harvard to implement “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies, introduce leadership reforms, and conduct an internal audit of faculty, staff, and students regarding their views on diversity.
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The administration also called for a ban on face masks—interpreted as a measure aimed at pro-Palestinian demonstrators—and urged Harvard to withdraw recognition and funding from any student organization that “endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment.”
In response, Harvard President Alan Garber sent a letter to the university community on Monday, pushing back against the Trump administration’s demands.
Garber claimed the federal directives “exceed the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI” and infringe on the school’s First Amendment rights.
“No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote.
He also defended the school’s record, claiming Harvard had undertaken reforms to address antisemitism.
“The work of addressing our shortcomings, fulfilling our commitments, and embodying our values is ours to define and undertake as a community,” Garber stated.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields confirmed the funding threat in a statement to DailyMail.com.
“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.
“Harvard or any institution that wishes to violate Title VI is, by law, not eligible for federal funding.”
The current dispute is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to hold elite academic institutions accountable for their campus environments.
Federal funding has already been frozen or paused for other Ivy League schools, including the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, and Princeton, pending compliance with federal directives.
Columbia University, facing similar pressure earlier this year, ultimately agreed to implement changes after the administration threatened to cut additional funding.
Harvard, however, has not backed down. The university’s stance has drawn both internal and external support, including a protest over the weekend and a lawsuit filed by the American Association of University Professors.
The lawsuit challenges the legality of the administration’s actions, alleging that the government failed to follow procedures required under Title VI before initiating cuts.
Plaintiffs argue that the demands “seek to impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the University to punishing disfavored speech.”
The administration has maintained that its goal is to ensure federal resources are not supporting institutions that fail to protect Jewish students or allow racially motivated harassment.
The case remains ongoing as both legal challenges and administrative actions continue.
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