US President Donald Trump's administration has announced that it will cut off new research grants at Harvard University as the tension escalates.
According to CNN, in a new step to target Harvard University funding, the Trump administration on Monday, May 5, 2025, revealed the plan to halt all new federal research grants for the institution.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, in a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, wrote that the university is not eligible for the grants from the federal government due to its “consistent violations of its own legal duties.”
The letter says, “In every way, Harvard has failed to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and fiduciary duties, its transparency responsibilities, and any semblance of academic rigour,” adding the university “has made a mockery of this country’s higher education system.”
Harvard University denounces the Trump admin announcement
Harvard, which is already fighting the Trump administration's earlier funding freeze in court, criticises the announcement and argues that the demands “would impose unprecedented and improper control” on the university and “would have chilling implications for higher education.”
A spokesperson of the university stated, “Harvard will continue to comply with the law, promote and encourage respect for viewpoint diversity, and combat antisemitism in our community. Harvard will also continue to defend against illegal government overreach aimed at stifling research and innovation that make Americans safer and more secure.”
Notably, the recent announcement came weeks after the Trump administration in April froze nearly $2.3bn in federal funding to Harvard over its failure to tackle rampant anti-Semitism on campus.
