“The grants are at our discretion and they’re not acting really well,” the president says. Federal funds for Harvard are under review.
President Donald Trump suggested on April 30 that Harvard will no longer receive government grants. The Ivy League agency, as his administration had requested, continued to reject its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements and to combat anti-Semitism on campus.
“We don’t seem to give them any more grants, right, Linda?” the president said during his speech to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
“The grants are at our discretion and they’re not acting really well, so that’s just too bad.”
The Trump administration frozen billions of dollars in federal contracts and grants at the beginning of the month due to allegations of anti-Semitism activities amid the Palestinian protests due to violations of the DEI program in higher education and executive orders on anti-Semitism, particularly in October 2023 of Israeli terrorist attacks in Israel.
The administration has also urged Harvard University to disclose details about foreign relations, and the Department of Homeland Security threatens to revoke its ability to register foreign students.
The administration has frozen $2.3 billion and is under review to have approximately $9 billion in federal funds taken for Harvard. The president is also considering revoking his tax-free status.
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“The trade-offs to Harvard and other universities are clear. Governments can micromanage your academic institutions or risk the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions,” Harvard states.
The university released two reports on April 29th. This found that many Arab, Jewish and Muslim students experienced bias on campus during the protest.
“What’s particularly bothering me is that people report a desire to treat each other with a light-hearted attitude towards compassion and exclusion, especially when given the anonymity and distance provided by social media.” “Some students reported that they were forced by their peers into the periphery of campus life because of who they are and what they believe, and erode a shared sense of community in the process.”
The Task Force on the Fighting Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel Bias has published a 311-page report recommending that universities adopt the definition of anti-Semitism used by the International Holocaust Memory Alliance and expand Jewish and Israel-related academic programming.
Meanwhile, the Task Force on the Fighting Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias has published a 222-page report suggesting the definition of biases associated with Islamophobia, establishment of mental health services, and expanding Palestinian research.
Both groups emphasized stronger free speech protection.
Chase Smith, Aaron Gifford and Reuters contributed to the report.
