President Donald Trump’s administration has announced another major financial blow to Harvard University, slashing an additional $450 million in federal grants just a day after the university publicly challenged accusations of liberal bias and antisemitism.
In a letter delivered Tuesday, a federal antisemitism task force informed Harvard that the cuts would span eight different government agencies—on top of the $2.2 billion in funding previously frozen under Trump’s directive.
According to the letter, Harvard has devolved into “a breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination,” and now faces what it called a “steep, uphill battle” to rebuild its reputation for academic integrity.
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“There is a dark problem on Harvard’s campus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school’s claim to taxpayer support,” the task force wrote.
READ ALSO: Harvard challenges Trump administration in court over $2.2 billion research grant freeze
The letter bore signatures from senior officials across the Education Department, Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration.
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Harvard has yet to issue an official response following the latest action.
The university has become a lightning rod for federal scrutiny after it was the first major institution to openly reject the administration’s push to curtail pro-Palestinian demonstrations and dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
President Trump has proposed revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status, while the Department of Homeland Security is weighing whether to strip the university of its right to enroll international students.
The Department of Education declared last week that Harvard would not receive any new federal grants unless it agrees to a sweeping set of federal directives.
Those demands include changes to top leadership, revisions to admissions criteria, and a full audit of campus demographics to assess whether a diverse range of viewpoints is truly represented.
READ ALSO: Trump administration halts $2.2B in Harvard funding amid crackdown on campus activism
Harvard is among several elite schools now targeted in a broader federal campaign that also includes Columbia, Penn, and Cornell, where funding has also been suspended in efforts to enforce Trump’s higher education agenda.
In response, Harvard has taken legal action, filing a lawsuit to challenge the funding freeze.
Harvard President Alan Garber pushed back in a statement on Monday, asserting the university’s commitment to neutrality and legal compliance. He emphasized steps already taken to address antisemitism and described the funding restrictions as an “unlawful attempt to control fundamental aspects of our university’s operations.”
In its latest communication, the federal task force claimed that Harvard has consistently failed to address on-campus antisemitism and racial bias. It referenced a Supreme Court ruling from 2023 that struck down Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policy, as well as a recent internal report citing incidents of antisemitic harassment within the university community.
