The U.S. government has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University after the Ivy League institution rejected sweeping demands from the White House aimed at addressing campus anti-Semitism.
The freeze follows a list of requirements initially sent to Harvard on April 3, which included shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and cooperating with immigration authorities to screen international students. On Friday, the government expanded its demands, calling for audits of faculty and student views and overhauls in governance, hiring, and admissions practices.
Harvard President Alan Garber pushed back forcefully, vowing in a letter to students and faculty that the university would not compromise its independence or constitutional rights. “We will not negotiate over our autonomy,” Garber wrote. “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, or what areas of inquiry they can pursue.”
In response, the Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced the freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants, along with an additional $60 million in government contracts. The task force criticized Harvard’s refusal, stating:
“Harvard’s reaction reflects an entitlement mindset that ignores the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. If elite institutions wish to receive taxpayer funding, they must commit to real reform.”
Tensions have been mounting across U.S. campuses since protests erupted over Israel’s military response to the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas—a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. The Department of Education in March opened investigations into 60 universities for alleged anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination.
Garber’s stance marks a stark contrast to Columbia University’s response. After the administration cut $400 million in funding over similar concerns, Columbia agreed to reform its disciplinary protocols and expand campus security by hiring 36 new officers.
Meanwhile, immigration authorities have targeted two pro-Palestinian protest organizers at Columbia. Mahmoud Khalil faces deportation, and Mohsen Mahdawi was arrested Monday while attending a U.S. citizenship interview.
Top Republican figures, including Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, have ramped up calls for further defunding of Harvard. Stefanik, a staunch supporter of Israel, labeled the university “the epitome of moral and academic rot” and accused it of tolerating “raging anti-Semitism.”
Despite an operating surplus of $45 million on revenues of $6.5 billion last fiscal year, Harvard now faces mounting pressure to either comply with federal directives or risk losing billions in federal support.
Garber maintains that while Harvard remains open to dialogue and reform, it will not submit to demands that overstep legal bounds: “We will defend the principles of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and constitutional governance.”