The Trump administration has frozen more than $2 billion in funding to Harvard University after the school refused to agree to a list of demands sent by the White House. The demands, according to the Department of Education, were created to fight antisemitism on campus and change how the university is run.
Just hours before the funding freeze was announced, Harvard released a public statement saying it would not accept the government’s conditions. The university said the demands would give the government too much power over how Harvard operates and that it would not give up its independence or its rights.
The government’s list asked Harvard to make major changes in how it admits students, hires professors, and governs itself. The White House also wanted Harvard to report students who were seen as “hostile to American values” and to take action against people involved in recent protests.
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Harvard called these requests extreme and said many of them had little to do with fighting antisemitism. The school said the government was trying to control its campus and force it to make political decisions. A letter sent to students and staff said Harvard would not let the government interfere in its educational mission.
Funding Frozen, Tensions Rise
Shortly after Harvard said no to the demands, the Department of Education announced it was freezing $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts to the university. These funds are usually used for research, student programs, and other academic work.
In its statement, the government said it was time for elite schools to take antisemitism seriously. It said some universities had allowed harassment and hateful behavior toward Jewish students and that this was unacceptable.
The statement accused schools like Harvard of ignoring the problem for too long. The Trump administration said if schools want to keep getting money from taxpayers, they must make real changes and stop supporting actions that divide students.
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This is not the first time the government has taken action against a university. Earlier, it removed $400 million in funding from another major school, Columbia University, after similar concerns were raised. Columbia later agreed to meet some of the government’s demands, though it faced backlash from students and staff.
Demands and Detentions Add Pressure
The White House’s demands included ten areas of change. Some of the key requests were to create viewpoint diversity in academic departments, remove diversity and inclusion programs, and let an outside team approved by the government review certain parts of the university. The administration also demanded punishments for those involved in past campus protests and a complete stop to what it called “hostile” campus culture.
In addition to these policy demands, legal and immigration actions are adding more tension. A student protest organizer at Columbia was recently arrested by immigration officers while attending a citizenship interview. Two other students from other schools who joined in protests have also been detained.
These actions are taking place at a time when many universities are facing pressure over how they handle student protests, especially those about the war in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel. The Trump administration says it is standing up for Jewish students who have been targeted or made to feel unsafe.
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Meanwhile, professors at Harvard have filed a lawsuit, arguing that the government is violating their rights to free speech and academic freedom by trying to control how the university operates.
Despite all the pressure, Harvard has stood firm so far, saying it won’t allow outside forces to decide how it teaches, hires, or disciplines its students. It said it is committed to fighting antisemitism, but not by giving up its independence or letting the government take over decision-making at the university.
