The administration of President Donald Trump has stripped another $450 million in federal grants from Harvard University, intensifying a bitter standoff with one of the nation’s most prestigious academic institutions, as per Al Jazeera.
The move comes as part of a broader crackdown on elite universities over what the White House claims is widespread discrimination, political bias, and tolerance of anti-Semitism on campus.
A joint task force established under the Trump administration accused Harvard of maintaining a “long-standing policy and practice of discriminating on the basis of race,” and of allowing its campus to become a hub for “virtue signaling and discrimination.”
“By prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school’s claim to taxpayer support,” the task force said in a sharply worded statement Tuesday.
The newly announced $450 million cut follows the Trump administration’s previous decision to suspend over $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard last week. The university is also facing potential threats to its tax-exempt status and increased scrutiny from the Department of Homeland Security.
A Clash of Principles: Free Speech vs. Federal Authority
At the heart of the conflict are mounting tensions over campus protests tied to Israel’s war in Gaza. President Trump has labeled the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Harvard and other institutions “illegal,” claiming they foster anti-Semitic activity. Students and organizers, however, argue the protests are peaceful expressions of solidarity with Palestinian civilians and a response to documented human rights abuses.
Harvard’s leadership, including President Alan Garber, has pushed back against the administration’s demands, describing them as a dangerous infringement on academic freedom.
“No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote in a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday.
Garber added that while Harvard shares concerns about combating anti-Semitism and other forms of hate, those goals “must not be achieved by violating constitutionally protected principles.”
Trump’s Demands and Harvard’s Resistance
In March, Trump issued a list of requirements for continued federal funding, including an overhaul of Harvard’s disciplinary policies, elimination of its diversity programs, and the imposition of an external audit to identify alleged anti-Semitic content. One controversial demand also called for “structural and personnel changes” to foster “viewpoint diversity,” a term critics say could be used to impose partisan control over hiring and curricula.
Harvard rejected the demands, with Garber stating that the university would not surrender to “unfounded retaliation by the federal government.”
“I must refute your claim that Harvard is a partisan institution. It is neither Republican nor Democratic. It is not an arm of any political party or movement. Nor will it ever be,” he added.
Wider Academic Fallout
The battle with Harvard follows similar clashes between the Trump administration and other universities, most notably Columbia University. Earlier this year, Trump suspended $400 million in federal funding to Columbia after student protests there gained national attention. The school eventually conceded to several of the administration’s conditions, including redefining anti-Semitism and placing an academic department under external oversight.
More than 180 universities and colleges across the U.S. have since condemned what they view as political interference in higher education, warning that federal overreach threatens core democratic values.
Political and Legal Implications
Trump’s aggressive stance has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats and civil liberties groups, who argue that the president is weaponizing federal funding to punish dissent and reshape American academia in his image. Legal scholars have also warned that revoking a university’s tax-exempt status or pressuring the IRS to act against a specific institution would be legally dubious and politically explosive.
The Department of Homeland Security has also reportedly threatened to block foreign student enrollment at Harvard unless the university complies with document requests related to protest activity on campus.
Despite mounting pressure, Garber remains defiant.
“Harvard will not compromise its commitment to free inquiry, inclusion, and the pursuit of truth,” he said. “These values are not negotiable.”
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