1. Harvard University has declined a proposed agreement with President Donald Trump, putting its $9 billion federal funding at risk.
2. The Trump administration proposed conditions that Harvard must follow to receive funding, including the elimination of DEI initiatives and screening international students 'supporting terrorism and anti-Semitism.'
3. The White House has also targeted Columbia, Cornell, and Northwestern universities by threatening their federal funding.
On Monday, Harvard University rejected the Trump administration's request to eliminate DEI programs and screen international students for ideological issues, putting nearly $9 billion in federal funding for the university at risk.
Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a note to the university community that: 'No government - regardless of which party is in power - has the right to dictate what private universities can teach, who they can hire and recruit, as well as what fields of research and inquiry they may pursue.'
Garber stated, 'Although some of the requirements put forth by the government aim to combat anti-Semitism, the majority is direct government management of the 'intellectual conditions' at Harvard.'
Harvard's decision to decline came after the Trump administration sent the university a list of demands as part of the review process for the nearly $9 billion in government funding designated for the school.
The administration required the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, while calling for the screening of international students to detect behaviors supporting terrorism, anti-Semitism, and hostility toward 'the values and institutions of the United States as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.'
'The university will not relinquish its independence or give up its constitutional rights,' the university wrote in a post on X.
'Harvard, like any other private university, cannot allow the federal government to take over.'
Garber also stated that for nearly a century, the federal government has provided grants and contracts to Harvard, leading to 'breakthrough innovations in various fields of health, engineering, and science.'
Federal funding is the main resource support for Harvard. Graber warned that without this funding, 'not only the health and welfare of millions of individuals but also the economic security and vitality of our nation will be at risk.'
In a separate letter on Monday, Harvard's lawyer stated that the university has taken steps to combat anti-Semitism.
'Harvard remains open to dialogue about what the university has done and is planning to do to improve the experience of every member of its community,' they wrote. 'But Harvard is not willing to agree to demands that exceed the lawful authority of this or any administration.'
One of the lawyers representing Harvard is Robert Hur, the special counsel of the Department of Justice, who investigated how former President Joe Biden handled classified documents.
He was nominated by Trump in 2017 to serve as the U.S. Attorney for Maryland.
Another university lawyer is William Burck, outside ethics counsel for the Trump Organization and co-chair of the global law firm Quinn Emanuel LLP.
The White House stated they would cut funding to Harvard because the university refused to comply with the requirements.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement: '[Trump] is working to Make Higher Education Great Again by ending unchecked anti-Semitism and ensuring that federal tax dollars are not used to fund Harvard's support for dangerous or racially motivated discriminatory acts or violence.'
Fields stated, 'Harvard or any organization that wants to violate Title VI is not eligible for federal funding under the law.'
The White House has focused on colleges and universities as part of its campaign against DEI programs nationwide since President Donald Trump was re-elected in January.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration cut $400 million in funding to Columbia University due to its handling of pro-Palestinian protests that erupted on campus.
Columbia University has accepted many of the White House's requests.
Last week, the White House announced it had cut more than $1 billion in federal funding to Cornell University and about $790 million to Northwestern University.
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