On Thursday, Harvard received a formal letter from the Trump administration listing a set of conditions that must be satisfied before the government can end its ongoing review of $9 billion in federal funding meant for the institution.
That review had already been made public earlier in the week, with a threat from the government that all or part of the funding could be withdrawn as part of its effort to tackle what it considers unchecked antisemitism on college campuses.
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Many of the demands made to Harvard reflect those used previously with Columbia University, where $400 million in federal contracts and grants were canceled until the school gave in. Just like with Columbia, the administration asked Harvard to place strict bans on the use of masks during protests, allowing only very limited exceptions.
Students who support the Palestinian cause have often worn masks during demonstrations about the conflict in Gaza to shield their identities. This was mainly because many of them had personal details shared online and later claimed they were harassed.
The government also pushed both institutions to go beyond just restricting masks. They were asked to take stricter actions against student groups, stop race-based admission practices, and make major changes to how protests are handled on campus.
Another condition included a demand for Harvard to give full cooperation to the Department of Homeland Security. This department is responsible for immigration enforcement, including deportation cases.
Unlike what was done with Columbia, the administration did not require Harvard to place any department under external supervision, often called “receivership.” However, it did say that departments or programs connected to what it called antisemitic behavior need to be carefully reviewed.
Similar Demands Were Sent to Columbia Earlier
If any issues are found, the university would be expected to fix the bias, introduce broader viewpoints, and remove strong ideological influence.
White House officials had announced earlier on Thursday that Brown University was also being targeted. They said the administration planned to block $510 million in federal contracts and grants meant for Brown, making it the fifth school that could lose government funding entirely.
Brown, like several Ivy League institutions, saw tensions rise on its campus due to the Gaza war protests. It was among a few schools that chose to negotiate with students during the spring to bring an end to encampments. Some people felt those deals were too soft and allowed student protesters to escape punishment.
A Harvard spokesperson confirmed that the school got the letter on Thursday but declined to say anything else about it. Fox News was the first to report the existence of the letter.
Accusations of Failure to Address Antisemitism
According to the letter, the administration claimed Harvard had “completely failed” to shield its students and staff from antisemitic abuse and warned that they expected “quick cooperation” in carrying out all the changes outlined.
The letter stressed that US taxpayers contribute large sums to colleges and universities, including Harvard, and said this money should be viewed as an investment based on the schools’ performance—not something guaranteed by tradition or entitlement.
Three names appeared on the letter as signatories: Josh Gruenbaum, who serves as commissioner of the federal acquisition service at the General Services Administration; Sean Keveney, acting general counsel for Health and Human Services; and Thomas E. Wheeler, acting general counsel for the Department of Education.
Harvard’s President Responds to Pressure
Alan Garber, Harvard’s president, issued a statement on Monday saying the school had already done a great deal of work over the past 15 months to address antisemitism. Still, he admitted that more needs to be done.
Garber said the school is ready to cooperate with federal authorities. However, he warned that pulling funding could bring many research activities to a halt and put important scientific projects at risk.
“There’s a lot riding on this,” Garber stated. “With our long history of working closely with the federal government, we’ve launched groundbreaking research that has improved people’s health, increased knowledge, and made communities safer.”
Broader Campaign Against Elite Universities
The administration has taken a strong position against top universities, creating a task force focused on antisemitism that included ten campuses—Harvard among them, despite being the richest university on Earth.
Back in June, the administration declared that its Harvard investigation would cover about $9 billion worth of grants and contracts, some of which are tied to the university’s affiliated hospitals in the Boston area.
Because of the pressure and ongoing threats from Mr. Trump about cutting university funding, Harvard had already placed a freeze on hiring in early March.
Ryan Enos, a professor who co-wrote a letter signed by other faculty members, argued that the administration’s approach was a form of “authoritarian extortion” instead of a thoughtful or legitimate policy proposal. In a statement released Thursday, he urged Harvard not to accept the demands.
Since then, the administration has expanded its actions against other universities. That included holding back $175 million from the University of Pennsylvania and stopping several grants to Princeton University.
