Inside the multi-agency attack Trump unleashed on Harvard University

The Trump administration has launched a wide-ranging campaign against Harvard University, involving threats, investigations, and funding cuts. What began as a task force to combat antisemitism on campus has expanded into a federal government effort targeting Harvard’s admissions, curriculum, and hiring policies.

At least eight investigations are underway across six government agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs. The administration has pulled or frozen nearly $4 billion in grants from Harvard and its research partners.

This pressure is part of a larger political strategy aimed at reshaping elite universities’ race-based admissions and perceived liberal bias. Though not officially labeled a personal vendetta, the government’s actions follow Harvard’s resistance to changes demanded by the administration.

Harvard has pushed back, filing a lawsuit after the threat to withdraw billions in funding. The university denies any wrongdoing and insists it follows the law. Harvard’s president, Dr. Alan Garber, said, “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”

The campaign’s roots trace back to the first Trump administration, which supported a lawsuit challenging Harvard’s use of race in admissions. The 2023 Supreme Court ruling ending affirmative action has further emboldened the administration’s efforts to dismantle diversity policies.

Key actions against Harvard include:

• April 11: A Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism sent Harvard a letter with 10 demands, including banning students “hostile to American values,” auditing political ideologies, and providing quarterly updates. Harvard refused and sued on April 21.
  
  
• April 14 & 22: The administration cut $2.2 billion in multiyear NIH research grants and froze $1 billion in NIH funding for Harvard affiliates.
  
  
• May 5: Education Secretary Linda McMahon informed Harvard it was disqualified from future federal grants.
  
  
• May 13 & 19: Additional terminations of $450 million in multiagency grants and $60 million from the CDC, citing failure to address antisemitism and race discrimination.
  
  

Multiple investigations are ongoing:

• Health Department’s Office of Civil Rights is reviewing medical school graduation ceremonies and broader campus activities since October 2023.
  
  
• The Education Department is investigating alleged harassment of Jewish students, foreign gift disclosures, racial preferences in hiring, and admissions policies.
  
  
• Homeland Security threatened to disqualify Harvard from enrolling international students.
  
  
• The Justice Department opened a civil investigation under the False Claims Act related to admissions policies.
  
  

President Trump personally pushed the pressure, privately suggesting withholding all federal funding from Harvard and publicly threatening to revoke its tax-exempt status. Education Secretary McMahon confirmed canceling more funds remains an option.

Despite these actions, Harvard remains firm in defending its policies and legal rights, warning that government attempts to control academic decisions violate constitutional protections.

This ongoing conflict highlights the deep political divide over higher education policy and federal influence on private universities. Harvard’s response signals a continuing legal and institutional battle ahead.