After freezing $2.2 billion, Trump administration slashes $450 million more from Harvard’s federal funding
The Trump administration has intensified its conflict with Harvard University by cutting an additional $450 million in federal grants, following the previous suspension of $2.2 billion in funding just a week earlier. This brings the total federal funding withdrawn from Harvard to approximately $2.65 billion.
The reductions are part of an escalating dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard, centered on issues including anti-Semitism, campus protests, and alleged racial discrimination.
The administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which includes officials from the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, accused Harvard of failing to adequately address what it called “widespread racial discrimination and antisemitic harassment” on campus.
The task force’s statement claimed that Harvard’s leadership had “forfeited the school’s claim to taxpayer support” by “prioritizing appeasement over accountability”.
The dispute escalated after Harvard refused to comply with government demands for governance reforms, an audit of “viewpoint diversity,” and new policies on anti-Semitism, following pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
The latest $450 million cut involves grants from eight federal agencies, but the specific grants and projects affected were not detailed in the public announcements.
The funding cuts threaten Harvard’s research initiatives in health, science, national security, and other fields, according to the university’s amended legal complaint.
Harvard has responded by expanding its lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the funding cuts are unlawful and infringe on the university’s First Amendment rights.
Harvard is not alone; other major universities such as Columbia and Ohio State have also faced federal funding reductions in this broader campaign targeting elite academic institutions.
The administration’s actions are part of a larger ideological battle over diversity initiatives, financial oversight, and the boundaries of academic freedom in U.S. higher education.
Harvard is actively contesting the funding cuts in court, with oral arguments scheduled for late July. The outcome will likely determine whether the suspended funds can be restored before the next academic year.
