Harvard University Rejects Trump Administration’s Demands
- Harvard University has rejected a list of demands from the Trump Administration, which included changes to its governance, hiring practices, and admissions procedures, in an effort to combat antisemitism on campus.
- The university’s president, Alan Garber, stated that Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights, despite the administration’s claims that it had failed to live up to federal investment conditions.
- The Trump Administration had threatened to pull billions of dollars in federal funding from Harvard if it did not comply with the demands, which included reducing student and faculty power, reporting students who are hostile to American values, and hiring an external auditor to monitor programs.
- Harvard professors have filed a lawsuit against the government, alleging that the administration’s actions are unlawfully attacking freedom of speech and academic freedom.
- This is the first time a major university has resisted the Trump administration’s funding threats, with Harvard’s rejection marking a significant turning point in the ongoing debate over campus free speech and diversity policies.
IBL News | New York
Harvard University rejected today a list of demands from the Trump Administration, asking the university to change many of its policies or risk losing billions of dollars in federal funding.
On Monday, the university wrote on its X account,xA0“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.
The White House sent Harvard a letter on Friday that added to a list of requirements it said were designed to fight antisemitism on campus, including changes to its governance, hiring practices, and admissions procedures.
“Harvard had in recent years failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment,” said the Trump Administration.
In a letter titled “The Promise of American Higher Education,” Harvard’s President Alan Garber [in the picture above] said the university responded that it did not “take lightly” its obligation to fight antisemitism but that the administration’s prescription goes beyond the federal government’s power.
Some of the requested changes included reducing the power held by students and untenured faculty, reporting students who are “hostile” to American values to the federal government, and hiring an external government-approved party to audit programs and departments “that most fuel antisemitic harassment.”
Since re-entering the White House, President Donald Trump has put pressure on universities to curb antisemitism and end diversity practices.
In March, the Trump Administration said it reviewed roughly $256m in federal contracts and grants at Harvard, and an additional $8.7bn in multi-year grant commitments.
Harvard professors filed a lawsuit in response, alleging the government was unlawfully attacking freedom of speech and academic freedom.
The White House had previously pulled $400m in federal funding from Columbia University and accused it of failing to fight antisemitism and protect Jewish students on its campus.
When the $400m was pulled, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said: “Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding”.
Harvard’s rejection of Trump’s demands is the first time a major university has resisted the Trump administration’s funding threats.