The federal government has frozen over $2 billion in grants to Harvard University, after the school rejected demands from the Trump administration. The administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced the cuts in a statement that called out “the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges,” stating that $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million “in multi-year contract value” would be frozen to Harvard.

The demands from the White House included third-party audits of campus programs and restrictions on international students, as part of a broader initiative to combat antisemitism.  On Monday, Harvard had rejected the administration’s demands, sharing on the university’s X account: “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to call for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status after their refusal to comply with the demands: “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting “Sickness?” Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” 

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields added in a statement that there are no signs of backing down: “President Trump is working to Make Higher Education Great Again by ending unchecked anti-Semitism and ensuring federal taxpayer dollars do not fund Harvard’s support of dangerous racial discrimination or racially motivated violence.”

The administration’s demands also included dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, replacing them with merit-based policies.  Harvard’s legal counsel emphasized that the university is committed to combating all forms of bigotry but cannot comply with directives that violate constitutional protections.

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