The Trump administration has announced a freeze on $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts for Harvard University after the university rejected policy changes the administration demanded.
Harvard has said it will not comply with the demands, arguing that they violate the university’s independence and constitutional rights. The university has rejected the administration’s demands, which include eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, banning masks at protests, adopting a merit-based approach to admissions and hiring, and limiting the powers of faculty members who engage in civic activism.
At the same time, the American Association of Harvard Professors has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, demanding an immediate halt to the funding cuts.
The Trump administration has also threatened to cut funding to other universities, such as Columbia University, which has already lost $400 million.
The administration’s demands are related to combating anti-Semitism at universities after the incidents that occurred against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.
