Trump Administration Sets Demands for Harvard's Billions in Federal Aid

The Trump The administration has presented a set of requirements that Harvard University needs to fulfill as conditions for obtaining nearly $9 billion in grants and contracts. This federal funding is at risk amid an inquiry into antisemitism on campus.

In a letter to Harvard's president on Thursday, three federal agencies outlined demands described as necessary for a “continued financial relationship” with the government. It's similar to a demand letter that prompted changes at Columbia University facing the risk of billions of dollars in reductions.

Several former students and teachers at Harvard urged the institution to resist, criticizing the government's involvement as a threat to educational independence.

The government’s missive serves as a "test of dominance" rather than an attempt to combat antisemitism, according to Kirsten Weld, a Harvard historian and head of the university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

“If Harvard, the wealthiest university on the planet, accedes to these demands, the task force won’t go away — it will simply return with additional demands, just like a schoolyard bully,” Weld said in a statement. “Harvard must contest this patently unlawful attack in the courts.”

Harvard is the fifth Ivy League a school caught in an administrative pressure campaign, where federal financing has been temporarily halted as well University of Pennsylvania , Brown, and Princeton to ensure adherence to its objectives.

The letter characterizes the funds received by Harvard from the federal government as an investment made by taxpayers that hinges on performance outcomes. It asserts that Harvard has "significantly fallen short in safeguarding American students and faculty against antisemitic acts of violence and intimidation" and emphasizes that urgent steps must be taken to maintain this financial support, according to the correspondence.

Harvard chose not to expand on their statement, only acknowledging receipt of the letter.

The correspondence urges for an prohibition on facial coverings, a requirement echoed at Columbia University and aimed at pro-Palestinian demonstrators who often wear masks to conceal themselves. Additionally, Harvard needs to provide clarity regarding its campus regulations governing the duration, location, and conduct of demonstrations and similar events.

The letter stated that academic departments at Harvard which contribute to antisemitic harassment should undergo review and modification to tackle biases and enhance viewpoint diversity. Unlike actions taken by Trump administration officials against Columbia’s Middle East studies department, this letter does not target specific campus units or call for changes in their leadership.

The requirements are typically not as detailed as those outlined in the Columbia ultimatum, primarily seeking extensive modifications aimed at achieving "enduring, systemic reforms," according to the letter. Additionally, it does not set a specific timeframe, whereas Columbia had approximately one week to adhere to the conditions.

In a letter to university leaders Thursday, a group of alumni said Harvard should “legally contest and refuse to comply with unlawful demands that threaten academic freedom and university self-governance."

It’s a moment for bravery, not surrender," stated Anurima Bhargava, one of the alumni authors of the letter. "This is an illegal assault and an effort to intimidate Harvard by endangering the core essence of the university—its researchers, inventors, business leaders, and academics.

Others backed the decision. Alexander "Shabbos" Kestenbaum, a Harvard Divinity School alumnus who is currently pursuing legal action against the institution due to anti-Semitic incidents on campus, stated that Trump's Republican administration is justified in threatening funding.

Just as the federal government threatened to cut funding from racially discriminatory school districts that wouldn’t integrate, the financial leverage remains the final means at our disposal to compel Harvard to ensure equal treatment and fairness for all its students," Kestenbaum penned in an op-ed for The Crimson, the college’s student newspaper.

Certain requests in the correspondence coincide with President Trump’s political platform yet seem to have weaker ties to the probe into anti-Semitism.

The directive encompasses instructions for implementing "merit-driven" admission and recruitment practices, eliminating all biases related to race, religion, gender, or other attributes. Additionally, Harvard has been tasked with discontinuing diversity, equity, and inclusivity initiatives that instruct both students and staff against forming quick opinions of one another through simplistic racial and identity generalizations.

The letter separately says Harvard must comply with a federal law requiring the disclosure of foreign gifts and contracts, a priority of some Republicans in Congress who have raised concerns about Chinese influence at U.S. schools.

It was sent by officials at the General Services Administration , the Education Department and the Health and Human Services Department.

Federal officials notified Harvard on Monday that the university faces a review to determine its eligibility to receive $255 million in contracts and more than $8 billion in grants.

Harvard President Alan Garber responded with a campus message saying the school had “devoted considerable effort to addressing antisemitism” and would provide a full accounting to the government.

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Associated Press reporter Michael Casey contributed to this report from Boston.

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