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The standoff between Harvard University and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration escalated overnight to a direct confrontation. Following months of tension over anti-Israel protests, restrictions on free speech and allegations of inaction on antisemitism, the administration launched an unprecedented crackdown on the prestigious university.
Federal grants have been canceled, massive funding frozen and threats issued to ban the enrollment of foreign students. Now, the administration is also seeking to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status — one of the most severe federal interventions in a higher education institution in decades, part of a broader ideological battle over the identity of American academia.
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Anti-Israel rally at Harvard, U.S. President Donald Trump
(Photo: Boston Globe, GettyImages)
Harvard warned the moves threaten academic freedom and research funding. The White House countered that it’s time to rein in institutions it says have become “strongholds of anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology.”
On Tuesday, after freezing over $2.2 billion in federal grants, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the cancellation of an additional $2.7 million in grants, accusing Harvard of promoting a “pro-Hamas ideology” and allowing alleged antisemitic activity on campus.
The administration also gave the university until the end of the month to submit information on foreign students suspected of “illegal and violent activities,” threatening to ban the university from admitting international students in the future.
Noem said one of the canceled grants had funded a counter-extremism project that “labeled conservatives as extremists,” and another had supported anti-human trafficking efforts that, in her words, had become a “political propaganda tool.”
The measures follow a list of demands issued by the administration, including the cancellation of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, restrictions on protests and a halt to what it called “political activity on campus.” Harvard refused, calling the demands a government attempt to “control the academic community.”
Harvard’s Jewish president, Professor Alan Garber, issued a defiant response: “We will not yield our independence or abandon our constitutional rights.” Hours later, the administration froze an additional $2.2 billion in federal support.
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At the same time, it was revealed that the Trump administration had asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to review Harvard’s tax-exempt status — a move unprecedented for a university of its stature. According to reports, the request was submitted via the Treasury Department and is now under advanced review.
The New York Times noted that federal law prohibits the president from directly ordering the IRS to investigate specific entities and tax experts believe any attempt to revoke the exemption would likely face and survive legal challenges. Still, Trump officials appear undeterred.
“With a $53.2 billion endowment, Harvard can fund its own chaos - DHS won't,” Noem said. Trump echoed the sentiment on Truth Social, writing: "Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’”
Harvard responded with outrage: “There is no legal basis to revoke our tax exemption. This is an unprecedented move that would harm our ability to provide financial aid, continue medical research and serve the public mission.”
The university addressed Noem’s claim directly, saying that while its endowment is indeed valued at $53 billion, most of the funds are earmarked by donors and not available for discretionary use.
Civil rights groups and academics expressed alarm at what they described as the use of administrative tools for political punishment, warning of a threat to academic independence and freedom of speech.
Supporters of the administration, however, argued that universities — especially Harvard — represent a disconnected ideological minority and that public funds shouldn’t support institutions that don’t uphold national values.
Harvard is just one of several universities now under federal scrutiny following campus protests against the Gaza war and Israel. Institutions nationwide are watching the developments with concern: if Harvard — an icon of global academia — is in the crosshairs, who’s safe?
According to administration officials, further actions are already underway targeting Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, Brown and others.