By Abiola Olawale
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has frozen $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University, triggering concerns as to how it all actually happened.
This comes after the institution rejected a series of White House demands said to be aimed at reshaping its Institutional policies.
The decision to halt the funding was announced Monday by the US Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.
Trump’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, in the statement,, announced the $2.2 billion hold in multi-year grants, plus a freeze on $60 million in government contracts.
The statement reads in part: “Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges — that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.”
“The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”
This comes after the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, in a letter to Havard last week had outlined some demands which included overhauls to Harvard’s governance, admissions, and hiring practices, as well as audits to ensure “viewpoint diversity” and restrictions on campus activism.
The White House framed the measures as a response to alleged antisemitism during pro-Palestinian protests.
However, Harvard President Alan Garber, in a defiant letter to the university community, called the demands an unconstitutional overreach, arguing they would “dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study they can pursue.”
He emphasized that Harvard would not “surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” citing violations of First Amendment protections and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Garber noted that the university has implemented measures over the past 15 months to address antisemitism, including disciplining policy violators and hiring staff to support community safety.
