Trump administration removes another $60 million in Harvard grants
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The Trump administration has slashed $60 million in federal funding to Harvard, accusing the university of failing to stop 'antisemitic' harassment following nationwide pro-Palestinian student protests.
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The Harvard University logo is displayed on a building at the school, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP)
The US Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday that it is terminating $60 million in federal grants allocated to Harvard University, citing what it claimed was the institution’s “continued failure to address antisemitic harassment and race discrimination” on its campus.
The funding cut comes amid a sweeping crackdown by US President Donald Trump’s administration, which it frames as a reshaping of the higher education landscape, including the freeze or cancellation of nearly $3 billion in federal grants and contracts to Harvard in recent weeks alone.
Trump, who took office in January, has repeatedly criticized American universities for what he calls “anti-American, Marxist and radical left ideologies,” accusing elite institutions of fostering political bias and suppressing dissenting views.
Harvard has faced mounting accusations of allowing what the US administration perceives as 'antisemitic' incidents to go unaddressed, particularly following a wave of pro-Palestinian student demonstrations that swept across US campuses last year in the wake of "Israel’s" genocide in Gaza.
The administration claims the university failed to curb discriminatory behavior.
“Due to Harvard University’s continued failure to address antisemitic harassment and race discrimination, HHS is terminating multiple multi-year grant awards ... over their full duration,” the department stated in a post published on X.
Trump’s education crackdown and ideological battle
This decision forms part of a broader ideological confrontation launched by the Trump administration, targeting what it sees as entrenched liberalism in higher education. Trump’s education policy aims to penalize institutions accused of violating federal civil rights protections or promoting narratives the administration deems divisive or unpatriotic.
Columbia University has also come under federal scrutiny following similar allegations, as government officials continue to examine how major universities respond to rising campus activism linked to the Israeli war on Gaza and broader student-led movements calling for divestment from companies tied to the Israeli occupation.
In earlier public statements, Harvard University admitted it could not fully absorb the costs of the suspended federal support. It has reportedly begun working with affected research teams to find alternative funding and has filed a legal challenge contesting the administration’s decision.
As tensions over campus speech, race, and Middle East politics continue to shape the national discourse, the Trump administration has made clear it intends to hold academic institutions accountable for the pro-Palestine protests that took place on their campuses last year.
