Trump Freezes $2.2 Billion Funding to Harvard Over Refusal to Meet Anti-Semitism Demands
The US government has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University after the Ivy League institution rejected the Trump administration’s sweeping demands aimed at curbing campus anti-Semitism.
Harvard has been hit with a major financial blow as President Donald Trump’s administration placed a hold on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and froze an additional $60 million in government contracts. The move comes after the university refused to comply with new federal directives tied to diversity policies, admissions procedures, and cooperation with immigration authorities.
According to the White House’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, Harvard’s non-compliance signals “a troubling entitlement mindset” within elite universities that continue to receive federal funds without meeting their “civil rights obligations.”
Harvard President Alan Garber released a strongly worded letter on Monday, vowing that the institution would not yield to federal pressure. “We will not negotiate over our independence or our constitutional rights,” Garber wrote, reinforcing Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
The university also made public a comprehensive list of federal demands sent last Friday, including calls for an “audit” of faculty and student views and a shutdown of diversity offices.
The funding freeze is part of a broader crackdown by the Trump administration on perceived anti-Semitic activity on campuses, particularly following waves of student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. Some demonstrations turned violent and drew criticism from Republican lawmakers, who accused protesters of sympathizing with Hamas.
Trump’s team has framed the funding withdrawal as a response to “the harassment of Jewish students,” stating that such incidents are “unacceptable” and must be addressed through policy change and enforcement.
In March, the Department of Education announced investigations into 60 colleges and universities over alleged anti-Semitic harassment. Harvard had already been under review, with nearly $9 billion in federal funding for it and its affiliates placed on hold pending compliance
The administration’s latest demands have expanded upon the initial list sent on April 3, intensifying the federal stance against institutions that resist cooperation.
Legal scholars say the funding freeze could spark constitutional debates on free speech and academic independence. Civil liberties groups are expected to weigh in, with some likely to support Harvard’s defiance
As the conflict between the Trump administration and elite educational institutions escalates, all eyes remain on whether other universities will comply or resist.
