Trump freezes $2B in Harvard funds after it rejects demands
a year ago
- #Education
- #Harvard
- #Trump
- Trump administration freezes $2bn in federal funds for Harvard University after it rejected White House demands.
- Demands included changes to hiring, admissions, and teaching to combat antisemitism on campus.
- Harvard accused the White House of attempting to 'control' its community and rejected the demands to protect its independence.
- The White House's demands included reporting students 'hostile' to American values and auditing departments for antisemitism.
- Harvard President Alan Garber stated the demands represented direct governmental regulation of intellectual conditions.
- The Department of Education froze $2.2bn in grants and $60m in contracts to Harvard in response.
- Harvard professors filed a lawsuit alleging unlawful attacks on freedom of speech and academic freedom.
- Columbia University agreed to some White House demands after $400m in funding was pulled.
- Recent protests on campuses against the war in Gaza have led to arrests of some participants.
- Confidence in higher education has been declining among Americans, particularly Republicans.