Washington, D.C., , April 15, 2025 — The Europe Today: The Trump administration has announced the immediate freeze of more than $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts for Harvard University, following the institution’s refusal to comply with a series of demands aimed at combating antisemitism on campus.
The move was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Education shortly after Harvard publicly rejected a proposal from the White House that included sweeping changes to the university’s governance, hiring, and admissions policies.
“Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges,” the department said in a statement cited by media outlets. It also emphasized that the harassment of Jewish students was “intolerable” and that continued federal support would be contingent upon “meaningful change.”
The White House last week submitted an “updated and expanded list of demands” to Harvard’s leadership, stating that compliance was necessary to maintain the university’s financial relationship with the federal government. Among the proposed reforms were requirements to report students who exhibit hostility to American values, ensure viewpoint diversity across departments, and hire an external auditor to investigate programs allegedly fueling antisemitism.
In a letter to the university community on Monday, Harvard President Alan Garber confirmed that the institution would not accept the administration’s terms.
“We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement,” Garber wrote. “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”
Garber acknowledged the seriousness of addressing antisemitism but criticized the White House for what he described as government overreach. “Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard,” he added.
The administration’s freeze includes $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts. In recent months, the White House has intensified its scrutiny of higher education institutions, citing concerns over antisemitism and what it calls politically biased diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
President Trump has publicly accused leading universities of failing to protect Jewish students amid growing tensions and nationwide protests over the Israel-Gaza war. In December 2023, congressional hearings put university presidents under intense pressure over campus responses to antisemitism. Claudine Gay, Harvard’s then-president, resigned a month later following criticism of her testimony and separate allegations of academic misconduct.
In March, the Trump administration began reviewing over $256 million in Harvard’s existing contracts and grants, in addition to $8.7 billion in long-term commitments. Harvard professors have since filed a lawsuit, arguing that the government’s actions threaten academic freedom and free speech.
The administration had earlier revoked $400 million in funding from Columbia University, leading to partial compliance with federal demands. The move sparked campus backlash and concerns over institutional autonomy.
Separately, multiple pro-Palestinian student activists across the U.S., including at Columbia and Tufts Universities, have reportedly been detained in recent weeks, with one Harvard-affiliated protester, Mohsen Mahdawi, arrested on Monday during a citizenship application interview in Vermont.
As the political and legal battle continues, Harvard now stands as the first major U.S. university to openly defy the Trump administration’s directives, setting the stage for a broader confrontation over the limits of federal authority in academic institutions.
