US govt threatens more grant cuts as Harvard rejects campus policy conditions

The US government is preparing to pull an additional $1 billion in federal grants and health research contracts from Harvard University, escalating a high-stakes clash over institutional independence, according to The Wall Street Journal.

On April 14, the administration announced the suspension of $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and a freeze on $60 million in contracts, citing Harvard’s refusal to comply with federal policy conditions.

The Journal reported that tensions escalated when Harvard released a letter from the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, a move that appeared to surprise officials.

"Before Monday, the administration was planning to treat Harvard more leniently than Columbia University, but now officials want to apply even more pressure to the nation's most prominent university, according to the people," the Journal reports.

People familiar with Harvard's response said there was no agreement to keep the letter confidential.

They viewed the demands — including federal oversight of admissions, hiring, and campus ideology — as unacceptable. “People familiar with Harvard's response say there was no agreement to keep the letter private and that its contents—including requirements that Harvard allow federal government oversight of admissions, hiring, and the ideology of students and staff—were a nonstarter.”

Columbia University complied with similar demands last month after President Donald Trump withdrew $400 million in federal support in response to campus protests.

The university implemented new protest rules and disciplinary measures and initiated a review of its Middle East studies programs.

According to the journal, the task force expected Harvard to follow suit.

Instead, Harvard pushed back in an April 11 letter, firmly rejecting the administration’s terms. President Alan M Garber wrote that the “university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”

Among the administration's proposals are banning masks during protests, revising merit-based admissions, and limiting the influence of faculty members described as “more committed to activism than scholarship.”

Harvard’s leadership argued that most of the demands overstepped federal authority, characterizing them as "direct governmental regulation of the 'intellectual conditions' at Harvard" rather than legitimate efforts to combat antisemitism.

On April 16, CNN reported that the IRS is considering revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status, citing two informed sources.

The administration has also threatened to revoke the university’s authorization to enroll international students.

The New York Times reported on April 18 that the April 11 letter was sent in error and was "unauthorized," quoting two anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

A White House spokesperson did not address the claim of error but confirmed the letter’s legitimacy, saying the White House “stands by the letter.”

Harvard acknowledged the letter’s authenticity and noted that the federal freeze on billions in funding remains in effect.