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The Trump administration has officially pulled $450 million in federal grants and contracts from Harvard over accusations that the school has failed to address antisemitism and discrimination against white students on campus.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, Harvard has been in the Trump administration’s crosshairs for a while now, as tensions have mounted over the University’s handling of antisemitism, race-related policies, and DEI initiatives. These tensions reached a breaking point when the administration cut $2.2 billion in federal funding, citing Harvard’s refusal to address what officials called a “culture of discrimination and ideological intolerance.” The funding freeze followed an April 11 letter from federal agencies demanding a series of changes, including governance and leadership reforms, a comprehensive audit of viewpoint diversity, and revisions to hiring and admissions practices. In defiance, Harvard President Alan M. Garber said the University would not “surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” stressing that academic freedom must remain free from government coercion. In response, Harvard filed a federal lawsuit, accusing the Trump administration of violating the First Amendment by attempting to use funding as leverage to dictate institutional policy.
What’s going on now: In another blow to Harvard, the Trump administration cut $450 million in federal grants and contracts on Tuesday. The new funding freeze—announced by the White House’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism—targets grants awarded by eight unspecified federal agencies and was justified by findings from a 300-page internal Harvard task force report detailing widespread complaints of “exclusion and hostility” faced by Jewish and Israeli students.
In a statement, the task force said, “Harvard’s campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has become a breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination. This is not leadership; it is cowardice. And it’s not academic freedom; it’s institutional disenfranchisement. There is a dark problem on Harvard’s campus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school’s claim to taxpayer support.”
Notably, the Harvard Law Review was singled out by federal officials, who cited an ongoing Title VI investigation into its article selection and fellowship awards.
Harvard has not commented on this latest development, though this will likely result in more staff cuts at the school. Following the initial $2.2 billion cut, Harvard began cutting staff and reducing its campus footprint to save money.
