Trump Administration Seeks Make Harvard Ineligible Federal Funding 2025 09 29
Reuters1 day
HHS Initiates Debarment Against Harvard
Above: People walk on Harvard's campus on June 5, 2025. Image copyright: Heather Diehl/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
Harvard has created a hostile environment where Jewish students face harassment, threats and discrimination in violation of federal civil rights law. Federal investigators found extensive evidence of antisemitism, including students being spit on, stalked and subjected to Nazi salutes. The university's deliberate indifference to this discrimination justifies cutting off previously-identified federal funding.
Democratic narrative
The Trump administration is using antisemitism allegations as a smokescreen for an ideologically-motivated assault on higher education. A federal judge already ruled the funding freeze illegal and found the administration violated the First Amendment in its targeted campaign against universities. This debarment process is designed to control academic institutions rather than address legitimate concerns.