The Trump administration has frozen over $2 billion in federal funding for Harvard University after the prestigious institution rejected a series of White House demands aimed at combating antisemitism on campus. The move marks an escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure elite universities over their handling of protests related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Last week, the White House sent Harvard a list of demands, including changes to governance, hiring practices, and admissions procedures, warning that compliance was necessary to maintain federal funding. Harvard President Alan Garber rejected the ultimatum on Monday, accusing the administration of overreach and vowing to protect the university’s independence.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Garber wrote in a letter to the Harvard community. While acknowledging the need to address antisemitism, he argued that the government’s demands amounted to excessive control over academic freedom.
Hours later, the Department of Education announced the immediate freeze of 2.2billioningrantsand2.2billioningrantsand60 million in contracts, stating that Harvard’s “troubling entitlement mindset” could no longer be tolerated. “The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable,” the department said, urging elite universities to enact “meaningful change” if they wish to keep taxpayer support.
The White House’s demands included reporting students deemed “hostile to American values,” ending diversity initiatives, and allowing government-approved audits of departments accused of fostering antisemitism. Harvard’s refusal makes it the first major university to defy the Trump administration’s pressure campaign, which has already targeted Columbia University.
The clash follows months of tension over campus protests against U.S. support for Israel. Earlier this year, Harvard’s then-president, Claudine Gay, resigned amid controversy over her congressional testimony on antisemitism. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian activists, including Columbia protest organizer Mohsen Mahdawi, have faced arrests, raising concerns about free speech and government overreach.
As the standoff continues, the battle over federal funding and university autonomy is set to intensify, with Harvard now at the center of a broader national debate.
