Harvard at risk of losing nearly $9B in federal funding as US launches alleged antisemitism review

The US government has announced a review of federal contracts and grants at Harvard University as part of an effort to combat alleged antisemitism on college campuses.

The Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and the US General Services Administration said in a written statement on Monday that $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates and the federal government were being reviewed, along with $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments.

"Harvard's failure to protect students on campus from antisemitic discrimination – all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry – has put its reputation in serious jeopardy," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

The statement said the review is part of the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which previously launched a similar investigation into Columbia University.

Columbia recently yielded to Trump's pressure and agreed to policy changes to restore their federal funding.

"The Task Force will continue its efforts to root out anti-Semitism and refocus our institutions of higher learning," HHS Acting General Counsel Sean Keveney said in a statement.

It added that institutions found in violation of federal standards could face administrative actions, including contract termination.

"This administration has proven that we will take swift action to hold institutions accountable if they allow antisemitism to fester. We will not hesitate to act if Harvard fails to do so," said Task Force member Josh Gruenbaum.

Repression of pro-Palestine voices

Since returning to the White House, Trump has been targeting universities where pro-Palestine protests erupted last Spring to denounce Israel's carnage in besieged Gaza.

Starting with Columbia University, Trump on March 7 cancelled $400 million in federal grants to the university over pro-Palestine protests.

The university's response of yielding to his pressure is being eyed by other universities, including Harvard.

Harvard last week, in an attempt to distance themselves from pro-Palestine voices, dismissed faculty leaders at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

The university's action was to supposedly distance itself from antisemitism allegations and bias towards Palestine.

Crackdown on students

Aside from universities, the Trump administration is also targeting pro-Palestine students from protesting Israel's genocidal war against Palestinians.

On March 8, authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist and a student at Columbia University. Trump hailed his arrest and said it was the "first of many."

Trump, without evidence, accused Khalil of supporting Hamas. Khalil denies links to the resistance group.

A few days after Khalil's arrest, Trump's claim came due after another pro-Palestine student, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian researcher at Georgetown University, was arrested. His attorney said he was arrested because of the Palestinian identity of his wife.

After the arrest of Suri, authorities went after another pro-Palestine student, Momodou Taal, asking him to turn himself in.

On March 25, Yunseo Chung, a pro-Palestine Columbia University student, sued the Trump administration to halt her deportation, saying authorities paid multiple visits to her residence to arrest her over her protests against Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Also, on March 25, Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD student at Tufts University, was kidnapped in broad daylight by US authorities because of her criticism of Israel.

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Source: TRT