Almost a month ago, the Trump administration canceled grants for Columbia University, which has become something of a hotbed for antisemitism and pro-Hamas activity, along with their sister school of Barnard College. Another once-prestigious Ivy League school looks to be next, given that the administration is also reviewing the $9 billion in funding that Harvard receives.
The Free Press was first to report on Columbia's grants, and on Monday, once more reported exclusively about Harvard. As the piece mentioned:
The Trump administration is investigating billions of dollars in federal grants and contracts to Harvard University, notifying the school in a letter on Monday that it has failed to address antisemitism on campus.
According to a source familiar with the review, President Donald Trump’s antisemitism task force is investigating $255.6 million in contracts and $8.7 billion in multiyear grant commitments between the government and Harvard.
A source familiar with the review said the investigation is being launched over concerns about Harvard failing to abide by its civil rights law responsibilities. The source warned that, should Harvard not address the concerns from the task force about antisemitism and take steps this week, it could begin to lose funding.
...
“Harvard has served as a symbol of the American dream for generations—the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world to work hard and earn admission to the storied institution,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from antisemitic discrimination—all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry—has put its reputation in serious jeopardy. Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus.”
The government’s review will impact Harvard’s various affiliates, which include various research institutions, the source said. Harvard was one of 60 schools that the Department of Education sent letters to in early March warning of potential enforcement actions over alleged failures to protect Jewish students on campus.
“This administration has proven that we will take swift action to hold institutions accountable if they allow antisemitism to fester,” said Josh Gruenbaum, a member of Trump’s antisemitism task force. “We will not hesitate to act if Harvard fails to do so.”
The report includes a statement from Alan M. Garber, the current president of Harvard, with a similar, fuller statement available on the website under the title of "Our Resolve."
The statement begins not so much by lamenting the societal ill of antisemitism, which is also similar to what The Free Press included in the report, but rather lamenting the possibility of funds being cut off.
Concerns with antisemitism at Harvard and the university's failure to act on it were highlighted in the months following the October 7, 2023, attack against Israel by Hamas. In December of that year, then-Harvard President Claudine Gay stumbled in her responses when asked by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) during a committee hearing whether "calling for the genocide of Jews" was against the code of conduct, as she claimed it depended on the context.
Gay was not alone, as the presidents of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania, also prestigious institutions, gave the same response. Now-former President Liz Magill of UPenn resigned not long after. Gay held on, however, not resigning until close to a month later, after she was plagued with allegations of serial plagiarism.
The antisemitism at Harvard continued, including a pro-Hamas encampment on campus last year. The university also thought it would be a fitting idea to have a commencement speaker who criticized Israel a month after that October 7 attack, via an editorial that compared our ally in the Middle East to Nazi Germany.
As Garber's statement read in full from the Harvard website:
Dear Members of the Harvard Community,
Earlier today, the federal government’s task force to combat antisemitism issued a letter putting at risk almost $9 billion in support of research at Harvard and other institutions, including hospitals in our community. If this funding is stopped, it will halt life-saving research and imperil important scientific research and innovation.
The government has informed us that they are considering this action because they are concerned that the University has not fulfilled its obligations to curb and combat antisemitic harassment. We fully embrace the important goal of combatting antisemitism, one of the most insidious forms of bigotry. Urgent action and deep resolve are needed to address this serious problem that is growing across America and around the world. It is present on our campus. I have experienced antisemitism directly, even while serving as president, and I know how damaging it can be to a student who has come to learn and make friends at a college or university.
For the past fifteen months, we have devoted considerable effort to addressing antisemitism. We have strengthened our rules and our approach to disciplining those who violate them. We have enhanced training and education on antisemitism across our campus and introduced measures to support our Jewish community and ensure student safety and security. We have launched programs to promote civil dialogue and respectful disagreement inside and outside the classroom. We have adopted many other reforms, and we will continue to combat antisemitism and to foster a campus culture that includes and supports every member of our community.
We still have much work to do. We will engage with members of the federal government’s task force to combat antisemitism to ensure that they have a full account of the work we have done and the actions we will take going forward to combat antisemitism. We resolve to take the measures that will move Harvard and its vital mission forward while protecting our community and its academic freedom. By doing so, we combat bias and intolerance as we create the conditions that foster the excellence in teaching and research that is at the core of our mission.
Much is at stake here. In longstanding partnership with the federal government, we have launched and nurtured pathbreaking research that has made countless people healthier and safer, more curious and more knowledgeable, improving their lives, their communities, and our world. But we are not perfect. Antisemitism is a critical problem that we must and will continue to address. As an institution and as a community, we acknowledge our shortcomings, pursue needed change, and build stronger bonds that enable all to thrive. Our commitment to these ends—and to the teaching and research at the heart of our University—will not waver.
Sincerely,
Alan M. Garber
Stefanik, who will remain in the House of Representatives rather than serve as President Donald Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, has continued to warn about antisemitism at these once-prestigious institutions of higher learning that seem to have lost their way.
Earlier this week, she warned that Columbia University, which lost yet another president recently, has another "untenable" president on its hands. She also posted to X about Harvard funding being under review.
Another untenable @Columbia President.
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) March 29, 2025
At the hearing itself, this individual was bragging about how well prepared they were and that Columbia would avoid the fate of Harvard and Penn.
During a five minute break from the hearing, she cheered in the back anteroom about how it…
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 https://t.co/IZXknCI2nS
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) March 31, 2025
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