Over $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts to Harvard University are frozen by the Trump administration. The move comes after the administration had asked the university to adopt a set of firm demands, including limiting campus protests and hardening university policies. The decree has drawn criticism, with people questioning free speech, university governance, and government overreach.
The White House sent an official letter to Harvard demanding multiple changes. These measures included banning face masks at protests, reviewing all faculty for plagiarism, and ending any relationship with student groups "that promote violence and/or illegal behavior. The administration also demanded that Harvard halt all diversity and inclusion programs and instead adopt merit-based hiring and admissions practices.
The response from Harvard's president, Alan Garber, was to strongly push back. In a public statement, he added that the federal requests exceeded legal boundaries and violated the university's First Amendment rights. Garber also described the requests, which B.K. was not a part of, as exceeding what is permissible under Title VI, which prohibits discrimination in education programs receiving federal funds.
"No government, whether controlled by the political left or the political right, should dictate what private universities teach, whom they admit or hire, or what they research," Garber wrote. He also noted that Harvard has implemented reforms to combat antisemitism on campus, but it would not accept what it views as actions that violate constitutional protections.
In recent weeks, US President Trump has leveled accusations against major universities for spurring antisemitic views. His administration identified protests on campuses against Israel's actions in Gaza as a failure of universities to curb hate speech. But other institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Brown and Princeton, had previously sought, but had their funding frozen, under the administration's crackdown.
Alumni of Harvard are now calling on university leaders to fight the freeze in court. Many have said the decision could be a dangerous precedent for academic freedom in the United States.
The Trump administration's demands were lengthy and specific. Among the key points were
- Abolish race or religion-based preferences in hiring and admissions.
- Screen international students to prevent admitting those who are hostile to U.S. values.
- Audit university departments for ideological diversity.
- Prohibit student groups that advocate violence or lawbreaking.
- Apply discipline rules without prejudice.
- Get rid of all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs
- Demand quarterly reports on progress on reforms.
- Declare foreign funds received and cooperate with audits
- Create a whistleblower program for reporting of non-compliance
The administration also named Harvard Law School, the Divinity School and the School of Public Health as programs requiring special oversight. Those departments have demonstrated ideological bias or haven't taken steps to curb harassment, officials say.
The mask ban was added to restrict anonymity during protests. The government argues that masks enable lawless conduct to go unchecked. New policies would include penalties for violations.
Harvard, one of the most prestigious colleges in the world, says it will not comply with modifications that will infringe on its independence. The university maintains that academic decisions should be made on its own, away from pressure from federal authorities.
