Trump task force to review Harvard's funding after Columbia bows to
federal demands
[April 01, 2025]
By COLLIN BINKLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvard University has become the latest target in the
Trump administration’s approach to fight campus antisemitism, with the
announcement of a new “comprehensive review” that could jeopardize
billions of dollars for the Ivy League college.
A federal antisemitism task force is reviewing more than $255 million in
contracts between Harvard and the federal government to make sure the
school is following civil rights laws, the administration announced
Monday. The government also will examine $8.7 billion in grant
commitments to Harvard and its affiliates.
The same task force cut $400 million from Columbia University and
threatened to slash billions more if it refused a list of demands from
President Donald Trump's administration. Columbia agreed to many of the
changes this month, drawing praise from some Jewish groups and
condemnation from free speech groups, who see it as a stunning intrusion
by the federal government.
Dozens of other universities have been put on notice by the Trump
administration that they could face similar treatment over allegations
of antisemitism. The federal government is a major provider of revenue
for American universities through grants for scientific research.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Harvard symbolizes the American
Dream, but has jeopardized its reputation by “promoting divisive
ideologies over free inquiry” and failing to protect students from
antisemitism.
“Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated
to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe
on its campus,” McMahon said in a statement.
Harvard President Alan Garber acknowledged that antisemitism exists even
on his campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but he said Harvard has done
much to fight it.
“For the past fifteen months, we have devoted considerable effort to
addressing antisemitism,” Garber said in a statement. “We have
strengthened our rules and our approach to disciplining those who
violate them.”
Harvard will ensure the government has a full account of the
university's work, Garber said. If federal funding is pulled, he added,
it will “halt life-saving research and imperil important scientific
research and innovation.”
The elite university is among more than 100 colleges and school systems
facing investigations for antisemitism or Islamophobia following Hamas’
Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel. The Trump administration has
promised tougher action than its predecessor, naming antisemitism as the
top priority for civil rights investigations.
Monday's announcement didn’t say whether the government had made any
specific demands of Harvard. The Education Department, the Health and
Human Services Department and the U.S. General Services Administration
are leading the review of its contracts and grants.
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A student protester stands in front of the statue of John Harvard,
the first major benefactor of Harvard College, draped in the
Palestinian flag, at an encampment of students protesting against
the war in Gaza, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., April
25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Those agencies will determine whether orders to halt work should be
issued for certain contracts between Harvard and the federal
government, the government said. The task force is also ordering
Harvard to submit a list of all contracts with the federal
government, both directly with the school or through any of its
affiliates.
“The Task Force will continue its efforts to root out anti-Semitism
and to refocus our institutions of higher learning on the core
values that undergird a liberal education,” said Sean Keveney,
acting general counsel for Health and Human Services. “We are
pleased that Harvard is willing to engage with us on these goals.”
Some of the nation's most prestigious colleges have faced
extraordinary scrutiny from Republicans in Congress following a wave
of pro-Palestinian protests that started at Columbia and spread
across the country last year. Presidents of several Ivy League
schools were called before Congress over allegations that they
allowed antisemitism to fester.
The hearings on Capitol Hill contributed to the resignation of
presidents at Harvard, Columbia and Penn. The interim president who
took over at Columbia, Katrina Armstrong, resigned last week after
the school agreed to the government's demands.
Trump and other officials have accused the protesters of being
“pro-Hamas.” Student activists say they oppose Israel's military
activity in Gaza.
Instead of going through a lengthy process that allows the Education
Department to cut funding from schools that violate civil rights
laws, the Trump administration has found quick leverage by pulling
contracts and grants. The tactic is being challenged in a federal
lawsuit brought by the American Association of University Professors
and the American Federation of Teachers.
____
Holly Ramer contributed reporting from Concord, New Hampshire.
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