Trump Freezes Harvard Funds Over Ideological Pressure

The Trump administration announced Monday the freezing of $2.2 billion in federal funds to Harvard University.

The decision came after Harvard refused to dismantle its diversity programs and to monitor the ideological views of its international students.

The government also accused the university of failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus.

This move puts at risk an additional $9 billion in federal grants Harvard currently receives.

Harvard Defends Its Autonomy Against Government Pressure and Accusations of Antisemitism

Harvard President Alan Garber responded with a letter to the academic community.

“No government should dictate what a private university can teach,” Garber wrote in his statement.

He affirmed that Harvard will continue to fight antisemitism but will not comply with demands that undermine its institutional autonomy.

Garber also emphasized that academic freedoms have been protected by the Supreme Court for decades.

The university also sent a letter to the federal task force on combating antisemitism.

That task force was established by Trump through an executive order during his second presidential term.

In the letter, Harvard’s legal team stated that they would not accept any conditions that exceed the administration’s legal authority.

Harvard is now the second institution to be sanctioned by this federal task force.

The first was Columbia University, which faced a $400 million funding cut for similar reasons.

Columbia ultimately accepted new federal conditions to avoid further losses in funding.

In contrast, Harvard has reaffirmed that its commitment to fighting antisemitism does not include compromising on fundamental rights.

The university claims it has already implemented structural, policy, and programmatic changes.

These efforts aim to ensure a safe, inclusive, and hate-free environment for all students.

It remains unclear whether the federal pressure will result in further actions against other universities across the country.