Trump Cuts Harvard from Federal Research Grants
The Trump administration has officially declared Harvard University ineligible for new federal research grants, intensifying its standoff with the Ivy League institution. The decision, made public in a letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard President Alan Garber, accuses the university of repeatedly violating federal law.
In the letter sent Monday, McMahon instructed Harvard to stop applying for federal funding and to instead rely on its massive $53 billion endowment and alumni contributions. "You have an approximately $53 billion head start," she wrote, asserting the university should now function as a privately funded institution.
This move comes amid multiple federal investigations into Harvard’s policies, sparked by its refusal to implement directives from the administration’s antisemitism task force. These directives demanded sweeping changes to hiring, admissions, disciplinary practices, and academic programming—measures Harvard claims infringe on its autonomy.
A senior administration official said the university has failed to address antisemitism on campus, tolerated alleged racial bias in the Harvard Law Review, weakened academic standards, and promoted ideological uniformity. They also referenced plagiarism allegations against top university figures.
So far, the government has frozen over $2.2 billion in existing funds, part of Harvard’s roughly $8 billion in federal contracts. Officials cited the school’s enormous endowment, noting it was built “thanks to the blessings of the country they do business in.”
McMahon’s correspondence also criticized prominent Democrats formerly affiliated with Harvard, including ex-mayors Bill de Blasio and Lori Lightfoot, and former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. She echoed billionaire Bill Ackman’s public demand for university leadership changes.
To regain eligibility for federal funding, a senior official said Harvard must enter negotiations and demonstrate compliance with federal law. The administration’s outlined reforms include merit-based hiring and admissions, as well as ending programs seen as promoting racial or identity-based stereotyping.
“The administration will not tolerate the use of taxpayer dollars to subsidize institutions that permit antisemitism or push divisive agendas,” the official stated. “If Harvard wishes to continue prioritizing ideological indoctrination, it will need to do so on its own dime.”
Category: news
108 
0
Comments