Cheyenne Suarez

Trump threatens $9-B in Harvard funding over 'anti-Semitism'

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<p>NEW YORK - The US government will review $9 billion of funding for Harvard University over alleged anti-Semitism on campus, authorities said Monday, after it cut millions from Columbia University, which has also seen fierce pro-Palestinian student protests.</p><p>President Donald Trump has aggressively targeted prestigious universities that saw bitter protests sparked by Israel&#x27;s war against Hamas in Gaza, stripping their federal funds and directing immigration officers to deport foreign student demonstrators, including those with green cards.</p><p>Officials would look at $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard and the government, as well as $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to the prestigious Ivy League institution, the General Services Administration said in a statement.</p><p>Critics argue that the Trump administration&#x27;s campaign is retributive and will have a chilling effect on free speech, while its supporters insist it is necessary to restore order to campuses and to protect Jewish students.</p><p>Education Secretary Linda McMahon said &quot;Harvard&#x27;s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic discrimination -- all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry -- has put its reputation in serious jeopardy.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus,&quot; she added.</p><p>Trump has also targeted New York&#x27;s Columbia University, initially putting $400 million of funding under review, detaining for deportation a graduate student linked to the protests, and seeking to arrest others.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/3/10/trump-admin-detains-pro-palestinian-campus-protest-leader-1306" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trump admin detains pro-Palestinian campus protest leader</a></div><p>Columbia then announced a package of concessions to the government around defining anti-Semitism, policing protests and oversight for specific academic departments.</p><p>They stopped short, however, of meeting some of the more strident demands of the Trump administration, which nonetheless welcomed the Ivy League college&#x27;s proposals.</p><p>&quot;Today&#x27;s actions by the Task Force follow a similar ongoing review of Columbia University,&quot; said Monday&#x27;s official statement.</p><p>&quot;That review led to Columbia agreeing to comply with nine preconditions for further negotiations regarding a return of cancelled federal funds.&quot;</p><p>Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><div><strong>gw/aha</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pFSluCiQjHc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bGwJ3vCOgVU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The US government will review $9 billion of funding for Harvard University over alleged anti-Semitism on campus, authorities said Monday, after it cut millions from Columbia University, which has also seen fierce pro-Palestinian student protests.</p>

The US government will review $9 billion of funding for Harvard University over alleged anti-Semitism on campus, authorities said Monday, after it cut millions from Columbia University, which has also seen fierce pro-Palestinian student protests.