Daijiworld Media Network- Washington
Washington, May 20: In a significant move that has sent shockwaves through the academic world, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has officially terminated $60 million in federal grants to Harvard University, citing the institution's failure to curb antisemitic harassment and ethnic discrimination on its campus.
The announcement comes amid a broader crackdown by the administration of former President Donald Trump, which has reportedly frozen or revoked nearly $3 billion in federal contracts and grants to the Ivy League university in recent weeks. The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized top-tier academic institutions, accusing them of harboring anti-American ideologies and failing to protect students from discrimination.
"Due to Harvard University’s continued failure to address antisemitic harassment and race discrimination, HHS is terminating multiple multi-year grant awards over their full duration," the department stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
The administration also pointed to the ongoing use of ethnic criteria in student admissions and alleged tolerance of antisemitic incidents linked to last year’s pro-Palestinian protests as reasons for the funding withdrawal.
The impact of the decision is expected to be substantial. Harvard, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, had previously warned that it "cannot absorb the entire cost" of frozen grants and was actively working with affected researchers to secure alternative sources of funding. The university is reportedly pursuing legal action against the administration in response.
This development follows closely on the heels of a high-profile lawsuit filed by an Orthodox Jewish student who accused Harvard of overlooking antisemitic incidents. The case was recently settled, with the university pledging to enhance protections for Jewish students and resolve two separate lawsuits that had claimed Harvard was a breeding ground for antisemitism.
Columbia University in New York has also come under similar scrutiny over alleged antisemitic activities, with the Trump administration warning of broader actions against universities deemed non-compliant with anti-discrimination standards.
As the controversy continues to unfold, the academic world watches closely, with federal funding policies and campus ideologies once again in the national spotlight.