"Harvard University has repeatedly failed to confront the pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment plaguing its campus," the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said in a statement released by the US Department for Health and Human Services (HHS).
The task force referred to Harvard as a "breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination," alleging that the Ivy League university has failed to adequately protect its Jewish students from "pervasive insults, physical assault, and intimidation." As a result, "eight federal agencies across the government are announcing the termination of approximately $450 million in grants to Harvard, which is in addition to the $2.2 billion that was terminated last week."
The Trump administration has targeted the esteemed university several times in the last month. The university's president, Alan Garber, has filed a lawsuit against the administration over the financial cuts. Garber, at the request of major university donors, attempted to meet with President Trump to negotiate the funding freeze, but was unsuccessful. The government withdrew funding not only due to alleged anti-Semitism on campus, but also because Harvard refused to repeal its diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Earlier this month, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to Harvard notifying the university that it was no longer eligible to recieve new federal research grants. Medical researchers at the university have weighed killing test animals as a result of the funding termination.
In an April X post announcing Harvard's lawsuit against the administration, Garber contended that the halt in federal funds was "unlawful and beyond the government's authority." The university has not publicly responded to the new funding cuts.
