Harvard University will not get any new federal research grants until it complies with a set of conditions established by the Trump administration, the US Department of Education announced on Monday. The move is a major escalation in the federal government’s long-standing battle with Ivy League schools, which have already been hit with a freeze of $2.2 billion in current federal funds.
The Education Department’s letter to Harvard lists worries about what it termed ‘serious failures’ in four main areas: antisemitism, racial discrimination, plummeting academic standards, and the absence of viewpoint diversity.
In accordance with a department official, the university now has to enter into negotiations with the federal government and take corrective action before it can become eligible for new grants for research. The ban does not extend to federal financial assistance given to students.
TRUMP vs HARVARD
This action comes after months of tension between Harvard and the Trump administration. In previous public remarks, President Donald Trump had condemned the university’s leadership and governance, urging its tax-exempt status to be reconsidered.
He contended that the university had lost focus on its educational purpose and was not transparent and accountable.
Harvard University has pushed back hard. Its president has stood firm in asserting that the university will not succumb to political pressure and has come to its defence against its internal processes.
As a response to the first freeze in funding, Harvard sued last month, disputing the legality of the administration’s actions and asserting that the freeze would imperil vital scientific research and academic programs.
It is not the first time Harvard has been in the spotlight regarding federal funding. Back in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university came under fire for accepting funds from the federal relief package, forcing it to repay the funds following public and political outcry.
With the most recent freeze, the controversy between Harvard and Washington seems to be moving into a new and more acrimonious phase.