Harvard University has defied demands from the Trump administration, rejecting attempts to exert control over the institution, which the administration described as an effort to counter what it sees as the university's left-leaning stance. 

In response, the U.S. government announced a freeze on $2.3 billion in federal funding to the Ivy League school.

The funding freeze follows the Trump administration's review of $9 billion in federal contracts and grants to Harvard, part of a broader crackdown on alleged anti-Semitism linked to pro-Palestinian protests and anti-Gaza war demonstrations at universities. 

Harvard President Alan Garber condemned the administration’s actions in a public letter, calling the demands an attempt to "control the Harvard community" and threatening the university's "values as a private institution dedicated to knowledge."

The Trump administration’s demands included enforcing stricter reporting on foreign students, revising governance and leadership structures, eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and altering admission and hiring practices, particularly for international students. Garber rejected these proposals, arguing that such interference was "unprecedented" and "beyond the power of the federal government."

The U.S. Department of Education's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism criticized Garber's letter, claiming it exemplified the entitlement mindset at prestigious universities, where federal funding supposedly does not come with a responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.

Harvard, unlike other universities targeted, has taken a defiant stance, signaling its readiness to challenge the funding freeze in court. 

The Trump administration had already suspended hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to other institutions, including Columbia University, which lost $400 million in March over alleged anti-Semitic incidents on campus.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1205 HRS, April 15, 2025
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