Harvard University issued a firm rejection Monday of demands from the Trump administration that threaten $9 billion in research funding, calling the federal government’s actions an overreach of lawful authority and a direct challenge to the institution’s independence and constitutional rights.
In a message to the Harvard community, President Alan Garber declared, “The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” He emphasized that no administration, regardless of political affiliation, should dictate what private universities teach, whom they hire or admit, or what areas of inquiry they pursue.
Garber’s statement came in response to a letter sent Friday by the Trump administration, which outlined new conditions Harvard must meet to retain federal funding. These include audits of academic departments and scrutiny of student and faculty viewpoints, alongside proposed changes to the school’s governance and hiring practices.
The potential funding at stake is significant: $256 million in current research support and $8.7 billion in future commitments, including partnerships with leading hospitals such as Mass General, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Boston Children’s. Late Monday, the administration announced it would freeze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts earmarked for Harvard.
The Trump administration has been sharply critical of Harvard’s handling of student protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict, accusing the school of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by failing to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment. Garber reiterated Harvard’s commitment to combating antisemitism through campus-wide initiatives and affirmed that the University has complied with the Supreme Court ruling ending race-conscious admissions.
“Our work must not be defined by assertions of power, unmoored from the law, to control teaching and learning at Harvard,” Garber said. “It is our responsibility as a community to address our shortcomings and embody our values.”
Harvard is one of over 60 universities targeted in recent weeks by the Department of Education, which has threatened enforcement actions and frozen funding at several institutions. Critics argue the government’s moves are politically motivated and undermine academic freedom.
Experts warn the stakes are high. Duke University business professor Daniel P. Gross, who co-authored a paper on U.S. university-government partnerships, said defunding research would be “catastrophic” to American innovation. “Universities are such an integral part of the modern U.S. innovation system that it wouldn’t stand without them,” he told the Harvard Gazette.
Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley pointed to the transformative impact of federally funded research, from cancer immunotherapy to diabetes treatments. “This partnership has returned brilliantly on the government’s investment,” Daley said. “It feels like the hammer has come down on something intrinsic to U.S. leadership.”
Garber concluded by highlighting the broader societal importance of independent scholarship. “Freedom of thought and inquiry, along with the government’s longstanding commitment to respect and protect it, has enabled universities to contribute in
