Trump administration freezes $2.2B in Harvard University grants after demands refused

The Trump administration’s antisemitism task force said it is freezing $2.2 billion of Harvard University’s multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contracts after the Ivy League institution refused Monday to comply with federal officials’ demands. 

The moves come after the federal Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced a review into $9 billion of Harvard’s federal funding in late March, alleging the university hasn’t done enough to protect Jewish students from harassment. 

Shortly afterward, the task force sent the Massachusetts institution a list of demands to meet, such as eliminating all diversity initiatives, so as to maintain access to its federal funding. Government officials went even further Friday, updating the list with stronger requirements, including that Harvard audit the viewpoints of students, faculty and staff and that it curtail the power of certain faculty members involved in activism. 

Harvard President Alan Garber rejected the demands and said in a community message Monday that the university would not “surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” He argued that the demands undercut the university’s First Amendment rights and exceed the federal government’s authority. 

The antisemitism task force froze Harvard’s grants and contracts just hours later. 

“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,” the task force said in a statement Monday. 

The multi-agency task force includes the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. General Services Administration. About 20 government officials participate on the task force, although the Trump administration has kept most of their identities confidential, citing security concerns, The New York Times reported.