The US government has announced further cuts to Harvard University’s funding, withdrawing an additional $450 million in grants, following a substantial $2.2 billion reduction revealed just last week. This action by federal agencies, spearheaded by the Department of Health and Human Services, is part of a broader effort to address what officials describe as “a dark problem” of discrimination within the prestigious institution.
Harvard, long regarded as one of the world’s top universities, has found itself at odds with the Trump administration, which has targeted US universities on several fronts. The White House’s aggressive stance on these institutions is reportedly in response to what it perceives as unchecked anti-Semitism and a need to roll back diversity programs aimed at rectifying the historical oppression of minorities.
The new funding cuts come just a day after Harvard’s President, Alan Garber, expressed a surprising alignment with the Trump administration on various issues. In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Garber stated that “we share common ground on a number of critical issues,” highlighting the university’s internal reforms following the tragic Hamas assault on Israel in October 2023. This assault, Garber noted, prompted meaningful institutional reforms aimed at addressing antisemitism and other forms of hate on campus.
However, these efforts have not been enough to reverse the university’s current grant status. On Tuesday, a legal filing revealed that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had terminated a grant to Harvard, citing anti-Semitic incidents. The NIH’s termination letter explained that while corrective actions are typically allowed, “no corrective action [was] possible here” in Harvard’s case.
Despite Harvard’s insistence that it does not align with any political ideology, Garber acknowledged the need for greater intellectual diversity on campus. He stressed that students were recruited based on their individual qualities rather than race, yet also recognized that improvements were necessary.
In sharp contrast, Tuesday’s statement from Trump’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism criticized Harvard as a “breeding ground for virtue signalling and discrimination.” It also pointed to the university’s own findings that Jewish students have faced insults, physical assault, and intimidation, as outlined in the statement.
“Harvard, and its leadership group who are tainted by the egregious infractions under its watch, faces a steep, uphill battle to reclaim its legacy as a lawful institution and centre of academic excellence,” the statement added.
As the situation unfolds, the pressure mounts on Harvard to address the allegations and restore its standing within the academic and public spheres.