Harvard University refuses to comply with a number of demands from the Trump administration that potentially risk billions in federal funding.
In a letter on Monday, Harvard University President Alan Garber said the school “will not surrender its independence or give up his constitutional rights” by accepting a series of terms suggested by the Trump administration.
The Trump administration demanded that Harvard end his diversity, justice and inclusion programs, adopted credit-based recordings and cooperated with the immigration authorities or risk losing $ 9 billion in federal funding. Garber said at the time that the loss of funding would “stop life -saving research.”
Harvard’s rejection of Trump’s demands first marks that a majority university has been pushed back against financing threats from the Trump administration.
A person runs past Elliot House at Harvard University, March 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Messe.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
In a letter Friday, the Trump administration claimed that the school “failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights that justify federal investments” and proposed conditions, including changing the school’s governance, adopting credit-based employment, shutting up any dei programs and giving “audits” to ensure “viewing diversity.”
In response, Harvard’s president said the school is obliged to make changes to create a “inviting and supportive learning environment” and confirmed the school’s promise to fight anti -Semitism. However, he argued that the Trump administration’s requests would go too far.
“The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s first change rights and exceeds the statutory limits of government authority under Section VI,” Garber wrote. “And it threatens our values as a private institution set aside for persecution, production and dissemination of knowledge. No government – no matter what party is in power – must dictate what private universities can teach, who they can admit and hire, and what areas of studies and examination they can pursue.”
The letter comes days after faculty members at Harvard University asked a federal judge to block Trump administration’s attempt to cut off billions in funding, arguing that the threat of a financing cut is an “existential ‘gun to the head’ for a university.”
In a lawsuit filed on Friday, two groups representing the faculty of Harvard University argued that the Trump administration exceeds its authority by “undermining free expression and academic investigation into the government’s political or political preferences.”
“This case involves an unprecedented threat from the Trump administration to withhold nearly nine billion dollars in federal funding to one of our country’s leading universities, unless it takes up changes that fundamentally compromise the university’s independence and free expression rights for its faculty and students,” claimed the trial requesting a judge Financing rights on political changes.
The American Association of University Professors and its chapter in Harvard claimed that the Trump administration did not comply with the specific procedure introduced in the Civil Rights Act to terminate the funding, rather than threatening to terminate $ 255 million in funding and almost $ 9 billion in multi-year grants, unless the school implements a number of political changes.
“These swept but indeterminate requirements are not remedies aimed at the causes of any decision of non -compliance with federal law. Instead, they are obviously trying to impose on Harvard University political views and political preferences made by the Trump administration and commit the university to punish dissatisfaction,” claimed the trial.
The confrontation follows similar actions against other prestigious universities. Last month, Columbia University accepted to meet the administration’s demand for campus policies and governance after its federal funding was suspended after protests on campus. The agreement came after the administration cited concern for anti -Semitism and public security.
The Department of Education has also initiated studies of Cornell University and Northwestern University, according to the White House officials. The Trump administration has stopped more than $ 1 billion in federal funding to Cornell and $ 790 million to Northwestern due to investigations of alleged violations of civil rights.
ABC News’ Selina Wang contributed to this report.
