Trump admin probes $8.7 billion Harvard grant, citing 'antisemitism'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Mar 2025 23:23

Harvard joins more than 60 universities now under federal investigation, as Washington ramps up efforts to suppress criticism of "Israel's" military assault and occupation.

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People walk through the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP)

The administration of President Donald Trump has opened an investigation into Harvard University's federal funding, citing allegations of antisemitism—part of a broader campaign critics say is aimed at silencing growing pro-Palestine sentiment on US campuses.

In a joint statement Monday, the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration announced the formation of a Task Force that will probe Harvard's financial relationship with the federal government.

"The Task Force will review the more than $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard University, its affiliates and the Federal Government," the agencies said.

"The review also includes the more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates," they added.

This latest move falls under Executive Order 14188, signed by Trump in January, which grants federal agencies sweeping authority to investigate colleges and universities for alleged antisemitic incidents—many of which have coincided with student-led demonstrations against "Israel's" devastating war on Gaza.

Harvard joins more than 60 universities now under federal investigation, as Washington ramps up efforts to suppress criticism of "Israel's" military assault and occupation. The administration's actions come on the heels of its decision to freeze $400 million in funding to Columbia University and amid reports that schools like Yale and Harvard have dismissed employees in response to political pressure.

While officials like Education Secretary Linda McMahon claim the initiative is about protecting Jewish students, civil rights groups, faculty, and student organizers say the campaign is an attempt to criminalize pro-Palestine advocacy and conflate opposition to Israeli policies with antisemitism.

Critics argue that the administration is exploiting genuine concerns over discrimination to shield "Israel" from growing international outrage, particularly on campuses where students have demanded an end to US complicity in war crimes and the occupation of Palestine.

Heads of Harvard Mideast studies center to resign

Last Wednesday, Harvard's interim dean of social science, David Cutler, announced in an email to center affiliates that Cemal Kafadar, a professor of Turkish studies and the CMES director, would be stepping down by the end of the academic year.

Rosie Bsheer, a professor of history and the associate director, is also stepping down. However, both are expected to retain their faculty positions.

Faculty members who spoke to The New York Times anonymously claimed that Kafadar and Bsheer were forced out of their roles, especially amid crackdowns from the Trump administration on higher education institutions.