Trump Administration Terminates $60m in Grants to Harvard
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the termination of $60 million in federal grants to Harvard University, intensifying an ongoing confrontation between the Trump administration and the Ivy League institution over allegations of anti-Semitism, presidential overreach, and the boundaries of academic independence, as per Al Jazeera.
In a statement posted to X on Monday, the department said Harvard had shown a “continued failure to address anti-Semitic harassment and race discrimination,” prompting the decision to revoke multiple multi-year grant awards.
The latest move follows a broader funding freeze by the Trump administration, which has already blocked more than $2.2 billion in federal support to Harvard. Earlier this month, Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared that the university would no longer receive public research funding, accusing Harvard of making a “mockery” of higher education. In a letter to the university, McMahon said Harvard should operate as a privately funded institution, relying on its vast endowment and alumni contributions.
In response, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration, claiming the funding freeze violates federal law and the First Amendment. The university argues that the executive branch has overstepped its authority by attempting to exert direct or indirect influence over the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and by threatening academic freedom.
Harvard President Alan Garber announced that the university will allocate $250 million from its own funds to sustain research previously supported by federal grants. The legal and political clash between the university and the Trump administration began in March, when the White House introduced new regulations aimed at curbing pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. Trump labeled the demonstrations “illegal” and accused them of fostering anti-Semitism, while protest leaders described them as peaceful expressions of dissent against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The administration’s demands to Harvard included reforming its disciplinary system, dismantling diversity initiatives, and allowing an external audit of programs deemed anti-Semitic. Harvard rejected the terms, arguing that compliance would subject the university to undue government control.
Conservatives, including Trump and his allies, have frequently criticized Harvard and other elite universities for promoting what they describe as radical leftist ideologies and suppressing conservative viewpoints, making the current standoff emblematic of deeper ideological battles over the role of higher education in American society.
