Trump freezes $2.2B in grants to Harvard over 'campus activism'
What's the story
The Trump administration has suspended $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University over the institution's refusal to comply with demands related to campus activism. It also includes an additional $60 million in contracts.
The White House had asked Harvard last week to adopt several changes, including "merit-based" admissions and hiring practices, conduct an audit on diversity views among students and faculty, and ban face masks.
Targeted demands
Demands seen as targeting pro-Palestinian protesters
Requests from the Trump administration were seen as an attempt to target pro-Palestinian protesters.
The government also asked Harvard to withdraw funding or recognition for any student group that encourages "criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment."
In response, Harvard President Alan Garber defended the university's First Amendment rights and criticized the federal government's overreach of authority under Title VI.
University autonomy
Garber defends university's independence in teaching and hiring
In a letter to the Harvard community, Garber said, "No government—regardless of party—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they admit or hire, or which fields of study they pursue."
He added the university had already instituted reforms to fight antisemitism.
"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 said.
Criticism
Task force criticizes Harvard for entitlement mindset
After Harvard refused to comply with demands, Trump's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism released a statement, which criticized Harvard for fostering an "entitlement mindset" among prestigious universities and colleges
It emphasized that federal investment comes with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.
"Harvard's statement...reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges," the Department of Education said in a statement.