Harvard’s $2.3 Billion In Federal Funds Frozen After Defying Trump’s Orders Against Campus Activism And Diversity Programs

Harvard University has strongly denied sweeping policy demands by the Trump administration, leading to a freeze of about $2.3 billion in federal funds, including $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts, Indian Express reported.

The US Department of Education issued the freeze after the Ivy League school declined to adopt White House directives meant to reshape campus life, curb activism, and close diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

In an X post on Monday (14 April), Harvard declared, “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” The university reiterated its stance in a longer statement, “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”

The White House claimed the proposed changes were intended to counter antisemitism on campus.

However, Harvard University President Alan Garber strongly criticised the move, stating in a letter to the community that the federal demands “violated the university’s First Amendment rights and exceed the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI.”

The Trump administration’s letter reportedly outlined ten categories of required reforms, including reducing the influence of students and untenured faculty, and mandating the reporting of students “hostile” to American values to federal authorities, BBC reported.

The Department of Education’s task force, in a statement cited by Reuters, condemned Harvard’s response, “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.”

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