WASHINGTON — President Trump’s Education Department warned Harvard University Monday that the Ivy League school is no longer eligible for new federal grants — until they address rampant, flagrant antisemitism on campus.
In a letter to university President Alan Garver, Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote that “Harvard is not eligible for any new grants from the federal government until they demonstrate responsible management of the university,” according to a senior department official.
“Bottom line of the letter is that the Trump administration won’t stand by as taxpayer dollars are used to support colleges that tolerate antisemitism or that support racist policies,” the official added.
The freeze will mostly apply to research grants, the official noted, adding that the federal government is currently investigating $8 billion in the university — including awards to its medical centers.
The administration has singled out Harvard due to the university’s high-profile status and the symbolic impact its grant freezes have on the rest of higher education, the official said.
The letter explains “that public confidence in higher education is at an all time low, and that’s really because of all the attention to terrible behavior at institutions like Harvard. So they’re hurting the entire sector.”
The Cambridge, Mass. school has been locked in a bitter legal fight with the government over Trump’s demands it remove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies in favor of merit-based programs and addresses an explosion in Jew-hatred on campus following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The Trump administration’s White House task force on antisemitism sent a letter on April 11 outlining the president’s demands and freezing an initial $2.2 billion in funding, to which Harvard responded with a lawsuit arguing the government was acting illegally.
“The government has cited the University’s response to antisemitism as a justification for its unlawful action,” Garber said in a statement at the time. “As a Jew and as an American, I know very well that there are valid concerns about rising antisemitism.”
“Harvard takes that work seriously,” the Harvard president added. “It is our moral imperative. Before taking punitive action, the law requires that the federal government engage with us about the ways we are fighting and will continue to fight antisemitism.”
On Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social he wanted Harvard stripped of its tax-exempt status if the university doesn’t comply with the government’s demands.
