US Again Stops Grant Funds for Harvard Citing Anti-Semitic Issues

WASHINGTON DC, TUESDAY — The United States government has once again halted a grant of 60 million US dollars to Harvard University. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assessed that this Ivy League campus in Massachusetts has failed to address antisemitism and ethnic discrimination on campus.

So far, the United States has halted grants or federal contracts to Harvard amounting to nearly 3 billion US dollars. Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has utilized federal research funds to overhaul the academic world. According to Trump, the academic world has been tainted by anti-American ideology, Marxism, and "radical left" views.

"Because Harvard University continues to fail to address antisemitic harassment and racial discrimination, HHS is terminating several multiyear grants for their full duration," wrote HHS in a post on X, Monday (19/5/2025), or Tuesday (20/5/2025) Jakarta time.

HHS further stated that under the Trump Administration, discrimination on campus will not be tolerated. Federal funds must be used to support institutions that protect all students.

According to the US Government, Harvard continues to consider ethnicity when reviewing student applications. Additionally, the campus has been assessed as allowing discrimination against Jewish individuals. Last year, US campuses were bustling with student protests in support of Palestine.

Harvard University did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Previously, Harvard had sued the Trump administration over the decision to terminate grants on April 21, 2025.

Harvard stated that it "cannot bear the entire cost" of the frozen grant. Harvard is the wealthiest university in the United States with an endowment of 53.2 billion US dollars.

The campus is striving to self-fund or seek alternative funding sources. CNN reported that Harvard University President Alan Garber will voluntarily cut his salary by 25 percent for the fiscal year 2026, which runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. In the past, the president of Harvard earned an annual salary of over 1 million US dollars.

"There is no government—regardless of which party is in power—that may dictate what can be taught at private universities, who may be accepted and employed, and which fields of study and research may be pursued," said Garber in a statement dated April 14, 2025.

Besides Harvard, Columbia University in New York has also been accused of antisemitism.

So far, Harvard has regarded the grant cuts as an unconstitutional effort to limit academic freedom and freedom of speech. In the latest court documents, Harvard stated that Trump has effectively "blacklisted" Harvard University from federal funding.

Before the announcement of HHS, Harvard had already received grant termination letters from seven different federal agencies. The letters contained very similar wording, stating that the grant recipients "are no longer fulfilling the agency's priorities."

Harvard argues that efforts to address discrimination will not be met by letting research languish.

"The government has not identified—and cannot identify—any rational connection between the issue of antisemitism and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research that has been frozen or halted aimed at saving American lives and maintaining America's position as a global leader in innovation," the lawsuit states.

For now, Harvard is bearing the costs of the canceled grant itself. However, if this continues, the campus will be forced to reduce the number of graduate student admissions, faculty staff, and researchers.

"Harvard will not be able to continue providing and maintaining state-of-the-art equipment, tools, and facilities for research. Without the contested federal funding, Harvard will have to operate at a significantly lower level," the lawsuit stated.

Judge Allison Dale Burroughs, appointed during the presidency of Barack Obama to the federal court, has scheduled the oral arguments for the case to take place in July 2025. Since Harvard has not yet requested an immediate court ruling against the government, the funding freeze is likely to remain in effect at least until the end of summer.

Not only the government, but Harvard also faces challenges from students. Harvard has finally reached a settlement in the dispute case with Alexander Kestenbaum, also known as Shabbos, an Orthodox Jewish student. The student stated that Harvard has ignored antisemitism on campus.

On May 15, 2025, Harvard and Shabbos filed a notice of termination in Boston federal court. The settlement agreement was not disclosed.

"Harvard and Mr. Kestenbaum acknowledge the steadfast and important efforts of each to combat antisemitism at Harvard and elsewhere. Harvard and Mr. Kestenbaum are pleased to have resolved the litigation," reads the campus statement.

The resolution occurred four months after Harvard promised additional protection for Jewish students. At that time, Harvard had settled two legal lawsuits against Students Against Antisemitism, as well as Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education and the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.

Jewish students argue that the campus tolerates them being labeled as "murderers" and becoming targets of attacks after the Hamas-Israel war broke out in Gaza in 2023. They also accuse the campus of employing professors who promote anti-Jewish violence and antisemitic propaganda.

Kestenbaum is the plaintiff in the lawsuit Students Against Antisemitism, but did not reach an agreement at that time. He is a recent graduate of Harvard Divinity School who has been actively promoting actions to eradicate antisemitism at major universities in the United States. (REUTERS)