WASHINGTON — President Trump’s Education Department warned Harvard University Monday that the Ivy League school is no longer eligible for new federal grants — until they address rampant, flagrant antisemitism on campus and otherwise “demonstrates responsible management.”
In a lengthy letter to university President Alan Garber, Education Secretary Linda McMahon charged that Harvard “has made a mockery of this country’s higher education system.”
“It has invited foreign students, who engage in violent behavior and show contempt for the United States of America, to its campus,” she added. “In every way, Harvard has failed to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and fiduciary duties, its transparency responsibilities and any semblance of academic rigor.”
In response to reports that the university was offering a year-long course in basic math — promising to “target foundational skills in algebra, geometry, and quantitative reasoning,” McMahon asked: “Who is getting in under such a low standard when others, with fabulous grades and a great understanding of the highest levels of mathematics, are being rejected?”
“At its best, a university should fulfill the highest ideals of our Nation, and enlighten the thousands of hopeful students who walk through its magnificent gates,” McMahon said. “But Harvard has betrayed this ideal … this letter is to inform you that Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided.”
On a press call ahead of the letter’s release, a senior Education Department official told reporters that McMahon had identified Harvard as deficient in four areas: antisemitism, racial discrimination, abandonment of rigor and viewpoint diversity.
To become eligible for new grants, Harvard would need to enter negotiations with the federal government and prove it has satisfied the administration’s demands.
“The Trump administration won’t stand by as taxpayer dollars are used to support colleges that tolerate antisemitism or that support racist policies,” the official explained.
The latest freeze applies only to federal research grants and not federal financial aid students receive to help cover tuition and fees.
The administration has singled out Harvard due to the university’s high-profile status and the symbolic impact its grant freezes have on the rest of higher education, the official said. In all, the federal government has awarded the university nearly $9 billion in grants and contracts.
The Cambridge, Mass. school has been locked in a bitter legal fight with the government over Trump’s demands it remove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies in favor of merit-based programs and addresses an explosion in Jew-hatred on campus following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The Trump administration’s White House task force on antisemitism sent a letter on April 11 outlining the president’s demands and freezing an initial $2.2 billion in funding, to which Harvard responded with a lawsuit arguing the government was acting in violation of its First Amendment rights and the statutory provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
“The government has cited the University’s response to antisemitism as a justification for its unlawful action,” Garber said in a statement at the time. “As a Jew and as an American, I know very well that there are valid concerns about rising antisemitism.”
“Harvard takes that work seriously,” the Harvard president added. “It is our moral imperative. Before taking punitive action, the law requires that the federal government engage with us about the ways we are fighting and will continue to fight antisemitism.”
On Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social he wanted Harvard stripped of its tax-exempt status if the university doesn’t comply with the government’s demands.
Harvard has an endowment of $53 billion, the largest in the country. Across the university, federal money accounted for 10.5% of revenue in 2023, not counting financial aid such as grants and student loans.
With Post wires
