Topline
The Trump administration announced Monday it has begun reviewing $9 billion in government contracts and grants provided to Harvard University, one of dozens of universities being investigated over antisemitism allegations linked to their handling of pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses last year.
The review was announced Monday. (Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesKey Facts
The Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration said in a joint statement they began reviewing over $255.6 million in contracts and $8.7 billion in grant commitments between Harvard and its affiliates.
The statement said the review was being conducted “to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities,” referring to the pro-Palestinain protests that occurred on Harvard’s campus last year and resulted in a multi-day encampment standoff between students and the Harvard administration.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon accused Harvard of failing to protect students from antisemitism and “promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry.”
The statement said Harvard was ordered to submit a list of their contracts with the federal government not included in the Trump administration’s initial review, with Sean Keveney, HHS acting general counsel, saying he was “pleased that Harvard is willing to engage with us on these goals.”
Harvard president Alan Garber said in a statement the university will work with the Trump administration to ensure it has “a full account of the work we have done and the actions we will take going forward to combat antisemitism,” noting if government funding for Harvard is stopped “it will halt life-saving research and imperil important scientific research and innovation.”
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What Other Universities Are Being Targeted By The Trump Administration?
The review of Harvard’s funding is part of a large-scale investigation by the Trump administration into 60 colleges over accusations of antisemitism. Columbia University was the first school that had its funding targeted by the administration. It lost $400 million in federal funding and later complied with a list of demands from the Trump administration in an attempt to recoup the losses. Columbia issued suspensions, expulsions and temporary degree revocations of some students involved in on-campus pro-Palestinian protests last year, hired 36 “special officers” capable of removing people from campus or making arrests and banned the use of face masks during protests if they are not used for religious or medical reasons. Other universities under investigation include Johns Hopkins, Ohio State University, Stanford University, Yale University, Arizona State University, several schools part of the University of California system and many others.
Key Background
The pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses last year centered around objecting to Israel’s invasion of Gaza, which was launched after Hamas killed around 1,200 Isralies in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, though some of the protests were also marred by antisemitic incidents. Some 45,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the war began, according to estimates from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, with around 90% of Gaza’s population displaced, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Some students in the U.S. also protested against their respective universities’ funding ties to Israel. In addition to targeting universities at large, the Trump administration has also revoked visas, detained and sought to deport students linked to pro-Palestinain protests last year, accusing some of directly supporting Hamas. Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is the most high-profile case of the arrests, having been detained by federal agents in early March despite having a valid visa and being a permanent legal resident of the U.S. He remains jailed as of Monday and is still fighting against his deportation.
Further Reading
Trump Administration Investigates These 60 Colleges Over Antisemitism Allegations (Forbes)
Columbia Agrees To Trump Administration’s Demands After Losing $400 Million In Federal Funds (Forbes)
Columbia Expels And Pulls Degrees For Some Students Who Occupied Building During Pro-Palestinian Protests (Forbes)
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