Trump freezes $2bn in Harvard funding over antisemitism measures

• Published On: 15 April 2025 at 19:40

President Donald Trump has put a block on more than $2 billion in federal funding provided to Harvard University after the university refused to comply with a set of demands from the White House aimed at eradicating antisemitism on campus.

The White House highlighted the restrictions as part of a broader attempt to address mounting concerns over antisemitism in U.S. higher education. The recommendations included substantial reforms to Harvard’s governance, hiring policies, admissions procedures, and academic monitoring.

In a statement released on Monday, Harvard President Alan Garber rejected the requirements, citing them as an intrusion on the university’s authority.

“Harvard will not surrender its independence or compromise its constitutional rights,” Garber wrote in a letter to students and faculty. “While we remain committed to combating antisemitism, many of the demands represent direct government intervention in academic affairs.”

Shortly after Harvard's response, the US Department of Education announced that it would immediately freeze $2.2 billion in federal grants and an additional $60 million in contractual financing for the university.

"Harvard's reaction illustrates the sense of entitlement entrenched in elite institutions," the department stated in a statement. "The harassment of Jewish students must stop. It is time for universities to take the situation seriously."

According to administration documents, the proposed requirements included reporting students who are deemed "hostile" to American values, ensuring ideological diversity in academic departments, using government-approved third-party reviewers to monitor departments accused of antisemitism, terminating Harvard's diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, and disciplining students involved in previous campus protests.

Harvard is the first major American university to openly oppose the White House's requests. President Trump has regularly chastised top universities for supposedly failing to safeguard Jewish students, particularly amid recent pro-Palestinian protests in response to the crisis in Gaza and the United States' backing for Israel.

The funding freeze comes amid previous scrutiny of Harvard, including former President Claudine Gay's departure in 2023 after her controversial remarks against antisemitism provoked a nationwide reaction.

The Trump administration began scrutinising Harvard's federal funding in March, prompting legal action from certain faculty members who claim that the government's intervention jeopardises academic freedom and free expression.

This decision comes after the government removed $400 million in federal money from Columbia University, which then agreed to implement some of the White House's suggested rules. Columbia has also attracted criticism for detaining students engaging in pro-Palestinian protests by immigration authorities.

Federal officials have warned that if other universities do not take the appropriate steps to combat antisemitism, they may face similar penalties.