The Trump administration has announced it is freezing $2.3 billion in federal funding for Harvard University, just hours after the Ivy League institution rejected a list of demands from the White House.
“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 Trump administration said in its statement.
“The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”
The Trump administration sent a list of demands to Harvard last week, calling for the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, stronger action against antisemitism on campus, and cooperation with immigration authorities.
The school was warned that failure to comply could result in up to $9 billion in cuts to federal funding.
Then, on Monday (April 14), Harvard President Alan Garber rejected the demands, saying the university would not allow government officials to dictate its operations.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Garber wrote in a letter to the Harvard community. “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.”
“We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement,” he added.
After the White House announced the freezing of funds, Harvard stood on business, adding, “The University will not surrender its independence or its constitutional rights.”
Harvard is one of the first major U.S. universities to defy pressure from the Trump administration to change its policies.
The government previously targeted Columbia University, which acquiesced to the government’s demands under the threat of billions of dollars in cuts.
Federal funding has also been paused for the University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Princeton, Cornell, and Northwestern.
The Trump administration has made a habit of withholding federal funding to pressure major academic institutions to comply with the president’s political agenda and influence campus policies.
Officials have defended the move by claiming that universities failed to address antisemitism during last year’s campus protests over Israel’s war in Gaza.
Harvard, Garber said, already has made extensive reforms to address antisemitism. He said many of the government’s demands don’t relate to antisemitism but instead are an attempt to regulate the “intellectual conditions” at the campus.
“Withholding federal funding from Harvard, one of the nation’s top research universities in science and medicine risks not only the health and well-being of millions of individuals but also the economic security and vitality of our nation,” he added.
He also argued that the freeze violates the university’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the administration’s authority under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
Among the White House’s demands were that Harvard implement merit-based hiring and admissions policies, audit students, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity. Enforce a campus-wide mask ban and withdraw recognition and funding from any student group that “endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or harassment.”
The government’s demands quickly drew backlash, prompting a coalition of Harvard alumni to call on university leaders to “legally contest and refuse to comply with unlawful demands that threaten academic freedom and university self-governance.”
“Harvard stood up today for the integrity, values, and freedoms that serve as the foundation of higher education,” said Anurima Bhargava, one of the alumni behind the letter. “Harvard reminded the world that learning, innovation and transformative growth will not yield to bullying and authoritarian whims.”
The standoff also sparked a weekend protest on campus, drawing students, faculty, and Cambridge residents and a lawsuit from the American Association of University Professors challenging the funding freeze.
In their lawsuit, plaintiffs argued that the government has failed to follow steps required under Title VI before it starts cutting funds, including giving notice of the cuts to both the university and Congress.
“These sweeping yet indeterminate demands are not remedies targeting the causes of any determination of noncompliance with federal law. Instead, they overtly seek to impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the University to punishing disfavored speech.”
