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CV NEWS FEED // The Trump administration announced Monday that it would freeze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard University, after the university refused to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and failed to address campus antisemitism concerns.
The freeze came hours after Harvard formally rejected the demands to dismantle its DEI infrastructure and increase ideological screenings of international students, particularly for signs of 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,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a letter to the Harvard community, defending the school’s decision not to comply.
While acknowledging that some of the federal demands were tied to combating antisemitism, Garber argued that most “represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard.”
The General Services Administration and Department of Education responded swiftly: “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.”
The agencies pointed to a wave of antisemitic harassment on campuses as justification for the action.
“The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable,” the agencies said in a statement. “It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”
Harvard’s stance places its nearly $9 billion in federal funding at risk.
Last month, the university preemptively announced a temporary hiring freeze, citing “substantial financial uncertainties driven by rapidly shifting federal policies.”
Columbia University previously lost $400 million in grants for what the Trump administration called a failure to protect Jewish students.
Harvard, which holds the largest university endowment in the nation at $53.2 billion, has faced scrutiny over previous pro-Palestinian protests on campus, particularly following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.
According to a report by the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance (HJAA), “Harvard’s education systemically planted and spread the seeds of hatred for Israel and Jews well before October 7th, 2023.”
The freeze follows an investigation by the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism—launched by President Donald Trump—into 10 universities, including Harvard, over recent antisemitic incidents.
Trump weighed in Tuesday, suggesting Harvard should “lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity” if it continues promoting what he called “political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness.’”
“Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” he added.
