The Department of Health and Human Services announced it is cancelling $60 million worth of grants for Harvard University due to the school’s “failure” in responding to antisemitism.
This brings the total of government grants meant for Harvard that have been frozen or cancelled to $3 billion since President Donald Trump took office. The Ivy League institution typically boasts as much as $9 billion in federal funding.
“HHS is taking decisive action to uphold civil rights in higher education. Due to Harvard University’s continued failure to address anti-Semitic harassment and race discrimination, HHS is terminating multiple multi-year grant awards—totaling approximately $60 million over their full duration,” the department wrote on X. “In the Trump Administration, discrimination will not be tolerated on campus. Federal funds must support institutions that protect all students.”
HHS has already agreed to cancel $450 million in grants over the school’s response to campus antisemitism. That decision was made in conjunction with a task force that includes the Education Department and the General Services Administration.
The task force determined that the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by allowing anti-Israel protests to escalate to antisemitism. Columbia University had its grants pulled as well.
Harvard President Alan Garber launched his own task force to investigate antisemitism. It released a report detailing incidents since October 7, 2023, which prompted an apology from Garber.
HARVARD TURNS TO BORROWING BONDS AMID FEDERAL FUNDING UNCERTAINTY
“I am sorry for the moments when we failed to meet the high expectations we rightfully set for our community,” Garber wrote.
Garber has been president since January of last year. His predecessor Claudine Gay was the center of controversy surrounding the antisemitic incidents that happened until she stepped down.
