21 April 2025 : US President Donald Trump is planning to cut an additional $1 billion in health research funding for Harvard University, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, as the administration’s row with elite schools escalates.
The Trump administration has already withheld government funding from Harvard, Columbia and other universities in response to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in what the White House has labelled a failure to control antisemitism on campus.
Harvard pushed back last week, rejecting demands for control of its student body, faculty and curriculum, saying that would cede control of the university to the government.
Soon after Harvard’s reaction, the Trump administration announced it would freeze $2.2 billion in multi-year grants to the school and threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status.
Trump also publicly denounced the university, saying that Harvard is a “joke” and “disgrace” on two separate occasions.
According to the Journal, the plans to pull an additional $1 billion in research funds arose after administration officials were surprised when the university made public a letter from the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism.
The Journal reported that officials had initially planned to treat Harvard “more leniently” than Columbia but now want to “increase pressure” on it.
Summary:
President Trump intends to cut another $1 billion in federal health research funding to Harvard, following the university’s refusal to comply with administrative demands.