The Trump administration reportedly plans to revoke another $1 billion in federal health research grants and contracts from Harvard University, escalating a high-stakes conflict over academic independence and institutional oversight.
The move follows last week's suspension of $2.2 billion in multiyear grants and $60 million in contract funding after Harvard refused to comply with a series of policy demands issued by the administration.
According to The Wall Street Journal, sources familiar with the matter said the additional funding freeze was triggered after administration officials interpreted a list of demands sent to Harvard on April 11 as the beginning of negotiations. They were reportedly surprised when Harvard made the letter public.
However, people familiar with Harvard's response said there was no agreement to keep the letter confidential and that its contents — which included demands for federal oversight of admissions, hiring practices, and the ideological views of students and staff — were "a nonstarter."
The letter, issued by the White House Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, outlined sweeping policy changes. Among the demands outlined in the letter were a ban on masks at campus protests, changes to merit-based hiring and admissions practices, and efforts to reduce the influence of faculty and administrators deemed "more committed to activism than to scholarship."
"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," the Journal reported.
Harvard Rejects Demands
In a sharply worded response on April 11, Harvard President Alan M. Garber rejected the administration's demands, stating that the "University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights," reported CNN.
Garber argued that the administration's requirements — such as banning face coverings, dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and increasing cooperation with law enforcement — exceeded the federal government's authority. He described them as efforts to regulate "the intellectual conditions at Harvard" rather than to address antisemitism.
Letter Called 'Unauthorized'
Though the White House confirmed the authenticity of the April 11 letter, officials gave conflicting accounts regarding its handling, The New York Times reported Saturday.
The White House maintained Saturday that it stands by the letter, which was signed by officials from the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration.
It expanded on a prior list of demands sent April 3 and included measures such as the elimination of DEI programs, ideological screening of international students, the de-recognition of certain pro-Palestinian groups, and mandatory reporting of foreign students who violate campus policies.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Harvard said, "Recipients of such correspondence from the U.S. government — even when it contains sweeping demands that are astonishing in their overreach—do not question its authenticity or seriousness. But even if the letter was a mistake, the actions the government took this week have real-life consequences on students, patients, employees, and the standing of American higher education in the world."
Federal Crackdown Broadens
The funding freeze is not the administration's only action against Harvard. Last week, reports emerged that the Internal Revenue Service is exploring a move to revoke the university's tax-exempt status, according to sources familiar with the matter, reported CNN.
That same day, the administration also threatened to restrict Harvard's ability to admit foreign students.
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has sharply criticized leading U.S. universities, accusing them of failing to control pro-Palestinian protests and allowing antisemitism to grow on campuses. Many protestors—including Jewish advocacy groups—argue their criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza is being mischaracterized as antisemitism.
Harvard has become a central figure in the administration's campaign, symbolizing institutional resistance to federal overreach.
