The University of Harvard refuses to comply with a series of requests from the Trump administration, potentially risking billions of federal funds.
In a letter On Monday, the president of the Harvard University, Alan Garber, said that the school “will not give up its independence or will not abandon its constitutional rights” by accepting a series of terms proposed by the Trump administration.
The Trump administration asked Harvard to end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, adopt merit -based admissions and cooperate with the immigration authorities – or risk losing $ 9 billion in federal funding. Garber at the time said that loss of funding “would stop vital research”.
The rejection by Harvard of Trump’s requests marks the first time that a majority university has pushed threats of financing made by the Trump administration.
A person passed Elliot House at Harvard University on March 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass.
Images Scott Eisen / Getty
Friday, in a letter, the Trump administration argued that the school “had not been up to intellectual conditions and civil rights which justify the federal investment” and proposed terms, in particular the modification of the governance of the school, the adoption of hiring based on merit, closing all the programs ofi and the authorization of “audits” to ensure “diversity of the point of view”.
In response, Harvard president said that the school has committed to making changes to create a “welcoming learning environment” and reaffirmed the school’s wish to fight anti -Semitism. However, he argued that requests from the Trump administration would go too far.
“The prescription of the administration goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates the rights of the first amendment of Harvard and exceeds the statutory limits of the authority of the government under title VI,” wrote Garber. “And this threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production and dissemination of knowledge. No government – whatever the ruling party – should dictate what private universities can teach, that they can admit and hire, and what areas of study and investigation can continue.”
The letter comes a few days after the members of the faculty at Harvard University asked a federal judge to block the Trump administration attempt to reduce billions of funds, arguing that the threat of funding reduction is a “existential weapon” for a university “.
On Friday, in a trial brought, two groups representing the faculty of the University of Harvard argued that the Trump administration exceeds its authority by “undergoing freedom of expression and an academic investigation in the service of the political or political preferences of the government”.
“This case implies an unprecedented threat from the Trump administration to retain nearly nine billion dollars in federal funding at one of the main universities in our country, unless it is funded to the changes that fundamentally compromise the independence of the university and the rights of freedom of expression of its teachers and students,” the political changes to a judge.
The American Association of University Professors and its chapter in Harvard argued that the Trump administration has not followed the specific procedure implemented by the civil rights law to end funding, rather threatening to end $ 255 million in funding as well as nearly $ 9 billion in multi -year subsidies unless the school implements a series of policy changes.
“These radical but indefinite requirements are not remedies targeting the causes of any determination of non-compliance with federal law. Instead, they openly seek to impose political opinions from Harvard University and political preferences put forward by the Trump administration and commit the university to punish the discourse,” said the trial.
The confrontation follows similar actions against other prestigious universities. Last month, Columbia University agreed to comply with the requests of the administration concerning policies and governance of the campus after the suspension of its federal funding after campus demonstrations. The agreement took place after the administration cited concerns concerning anti -Semitism and public security.
The Ministry of Education has also launched surveys on Cornell University and the Northwestern University, according to White House officials. The Trump administration has interrupted more than a billion dollars in federal funding in Cornell and $ 790 million in the northwest due to investigations on alleged civil rights violations.
ABC News Selina Wang contributed to this report.
