Trump hits Harvard with $2.2B funding freeze over its rejection of his demands

Elite US university Harvard was hit with a $2.2 billion freeze in federal funding after rejecting a list of sweeping demands over Gaza protests and other issues.

The university had made public a letter to students and staff on Monday defying a call for changes to its governance, hiring practices and admissions policy from the administration of President Donald Trump.

"Harvard's statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges — that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws," Trump's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said in a statement.

Earlier, university President Alan Garber said in a letter to the school's community on Monday that while some of the Trump administration's demands "are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the 'intellectual conditions' at Harvard." That includes a demand to "audit" the views of the student body, faculty, and staff and "reduce the power" of certain individuals because of their ideological views.

Garber said the administration has been informed through the university's attorneys that Harvard will not accept the agreement it proposed and "will not negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights."

The Trump administration's proposal, he said, "threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge."

"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," said Garber.

"We proceed now, as always, with the conviction that the fearless and unfettered pursuit of truth liberates humanity—and with faith in the enduring promise that America's colleges and universities hold for our country and our world," he added.

Universities targeted over Gaza

Harvard's defiance comes as the Trump administration seeks to force schools across the country to eliminate diversity programmes and restrict student-led pro-Palestine protests.

An April 11 letter sent by senior Trump administration officials to Harvard laid out a proposal for the school to adopt in order to "maintain Harvard's financial relationship with the federal government."

The demands include investigations into student-led protests against Israel's war on Gaza, as well as suspensions for students who occupied school buildings "as warranted by the facts of individual cases."

It further called for a crackdown on student groups who participate in pro-Palestine demonstrations and for the implementation of a masking ban on campus with "immediate penalties" to include suspension from school at a minimum.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders lauded the school's stance, saying on X that the school is "refusing to relinquish its constitutional rights to Trump's authoritarianism."

"Other universities should follow their lead. And instead of doing pro bono work for Trump, cowardly law firms should be defending those who believe in the rule of law," he said.

Congratulations to Harvard for refusing to relinquish its constitutional rights to Trump’s authoritarianism.

Other universities should follow their lead.

And instead of doing pro bono work for Trump, cowardly law firms should be defending those who believe in the rule of law.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 14, 2025

Universities under pressure

Trump targeted US universities for allowing pro-Palestine protests on their campus.

He started with Columbia, which ignited a wave of pro-Palestine protests across US campuses, cancelling $400 million in federal funding to the university.

The university ultimately yielded to his pressure, announcing sweeping policy changes, including campus protest policies.

He then targeted Harvard, launching a review of alleged antisemitism and threatened to withdraw $9 billion in federal funding from the university.

He later froze federal funding for both Cornell University and Northwestern University for allowing pro-Palestine protests.

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Source: TRT