Trump Targets Funding for Harvard and Princeton in Latest Ivy League Blow

Recently, it was revealed that the Trump administration is scrutinizing approximately $9 billion in federal grants given to Harvard University and that multiple research grants at Princeton University have been halted by various federal bodies. This places both institutions among a group of prestigious universities whose funding has come under threat from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Specifically, the investigation into Harvard is directly connected to Trump’s commitment to address what he perceives as widespread antisemitism in higher education institutions.

Under the guise of fighting antisemitism, Trump has announced plans to focus on international students involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations, labeling such activities as “pro-jihadist.” A number of students active in Palestinian support have faced deportation.

A statement on Monday from the U.S. Department of Education revealed that several federal agencies are initiating a detailed review of Harvard’s federal contracts and grants as a part of Trump administration’s ongoing Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.

The examination will cover more than $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates, and the federal government, and $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to the university and its affiliates to verify compliance with federal regulations, including civil rights obligations.

“Harvard’s inability to shield students from antisemitic discrimination on campus, while endorsing polarizing ideologies over free inquiry, has seriously risked its reputation. Harvard has the opportunity to rectify these issues and return to being a campus committed to academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, ensuring all students feel secure,” stated Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

In a message that faced criticism from various quarters, Harvard President Alan Garber informed the Harvard community on Monday that the university has spent “considerable effort” in the past 15 months to tackle antisemitism, including “improving training and education on antisemitism.”

“There remains a lot more to be done,” Garber noted. “We will collaborate with members of the federal government’s task force to combat antisemitism to provide a complete overview of our efforts and our future plans to fight antisemitism.”

Garber also expressed concerns that ceasing the funding “would end lifesaving research and jeopardize important scientific research and innovation.”

Harvard Divinity School graduate Hannah Gais criticized Garber’s message on Monday for fully yielding to the administration and its misleading basis that the action is about ‘protecting’ students from antisemitism.

“A shameful letter from Harvard President Alan Garber, completely giving in to Trump and the harmful fallacy that America’s universities, which are among the most significant and most Jewish institutions in American life, are plagued with antisemitism,” historian and editor Sam Haselby posted on X.

Meanwhile, Princeton’s president communicated to the university community on Tuesday that several of the university’s research grants have been suspended by the government.

“The detailed reasons for these suspensions remain unclear, but I want to emphasize the principles that will guide our response,” Princeton president Christopher L. Eisgruber stated on Tuesday, according to The New York Times. “Princeton University will adhere to the law. We are dedicated to combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will work with the government to fight antisemitism.”

In February, the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced investigations into 10 universities, including Harvard and Columbia University, which had recently seen $400 million in federal grants revoked by the Trump administration. Although Princeton was not included in this list, it was among 60 colleges last month to receive warning letters from the U.S. Department of Education about potential actions if they failed to adequately protect Jewish students.

Following the withdrawal of $400 million from Columbia, the administration announced in March that it was freezing $175 million in federal funds for the University of Pennsylvania, citing the university’s policies on transgender athletes.

In March, Columbia announced several changes to align with the Trump administration’s demands during negotiations over the rescinded $400 million in federal grants, sparking extensive criticism.

In an opinion piece for Common Dreams published on Tuesday, Steve Striffler, director of the Labor Resource Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston, argued that it is not entirely accurate to label Columbia’s changes as a “surrender” to the Trump administration.

Instead, “it seems quite likely that Columbia’s leaders accepted Trump’s demands not so much because they were compelled to surrender, or because they saw resistance as either futile or potentially disastrous, but because they appreciated the opportunity and political cover that Trump’s mandate provided,” he wrote.