Trump escalates Harvard funding cuts, slashes another $450 million
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The US government slashes $450M more in grants to Harvard, alleging discrimination and antisemitism amid ongoing legal and political disputes.
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The Harvard University logo is displayed on a building at the school, April 15, 2025, Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP/Charles Krupa)
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday an additional $450 million in grant terminations for Harvard University, deepening a financial crackdown that has already seen $2.2 billion cut in the previous week.
The US Department of Health and Human Services stated that the decision was linked to what it described as a "dark problem" of discrimination at the institution.
Critics have dismissed the administration’s invocation of “discrimination” as a cover for what is, in reality, a targeted campaign to silence pro-Palestinian dissent. Rather than addressing any genuine concern for campus equity, the move is widely seen as an effort to penalize institutions like Harvard for student-led mobilizations protesting "Israel's" war crimes in Gaza.
The Trump administration has responded with a wave of punitive measures over the last few months, including the revocation of visas for international students participating in pro-Palestinian protests. For instance, Momadou Taal, who led pro-Palestine protests at Cornell University, left the United States in March of this year after being told to surrender to immigration officials. Taal, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Gambia, departed after his student visa was revoked for his involvement in campus activism.
Harvard’s legal challenge and internal reforms
Despite the legal confrontation, Harvard President Alan Garber attempted to strike a conciliatory tone in a letter sent Monday to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, writing that the university and the administration "share common ground on a number of critical issues."
Garber emphasized that the institution had undertaken substantial reforms following what he described as "an extraordinarily painful year for our community," referring to the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Al-Aqsa Flood. He noted that these reforms aimed to root out antisemitism and all forms of hatred from campus life.
Harvard will continue to defend against illegal government overreach aimed at stifling research and innovation that make Americans safer and more secure. Read the full statement: https://t.co/UIPoI5wZrr
— Harvard News (@harvardnews) May 6, 2025
Nevertheless, Harvard's efforts did not sway federal grant administrators. A legal filing on Tuesday referenced a National Institutes of Health termination letter from May, in which officials alleged antisemitism and stated that "no corrective action [was] possible here." The document highlighted the administration's apparent refusal to allow reinstatement opportunities typically extended to other institutions.
