US Department of Education freezes $2.3 billion in funding to Harvard University after the school pushed back on demands made by the government, including to clamp down on campus antisemitism.
Trump admin freezes $2.3 billion in Harvard funding
US Department of Education freezes $2.3 billion in funding to Harvard University after the school pushed back on demands made by the government, including to clamp down on campus antisemitism.
The Trump administration has halted approximately $2.3 billion in federal funding allocated to Harvard University following the school’s refusal to comply with directives from the White House targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, Reuters reported.
According to an announcement on Monday from the US Department of Education, the decision encompasses a freeze on $2.2 billion in grant money, as well as $60 million in federal contracts previously designated for the Ivy League institution.
“Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges—that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws,” stated the department’s task force on combating antisemitism.
While Harvard has not issued a detailed public response to the funding suspension, the dispute marks a significant escalation in tensions between the federal government and elite universities over the direction and governance of campus policies related to diversity and civil rights compliance.
The funding cut was announced hours after Harvard University President Alan Garber announced the university would refuse to comply with the Trump administration’s demands on campus protests, diversity programs, and campus antisemitism.
“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.
In addition, attorneys representing Harvard claimed that the demands made of the school are illegal and that Harvard “is not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.”
The Trump administration recently issued a firm ultimatum to Harvard University, demanding sweeping policy changes as a condition for maintaining its access to nearly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts.
Harvard, like other universities in the US, has seen an uptick in anti-Israel activity since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed. The university has come under fire over its handling of antisemitism on campus.
Just two days after the October 7 massacre, a coalition of 34 Harvard student organizations released a statement in which they blamed Israel for Hamas’ attack. Later, then-Harvard President Claudine Gay came under fire after she, along with MIT President Sally Kornbluth and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, testified before a congressional hearing on the issue of antisemitism on college campuses.
All three university presidents gave similar answers to Rep. Elise Stefanik in which they failed to unequivocally condemn antisemitism or even calls for genocide against Jews. Gay eventually resigned as President of Harvard.
