Trump Administration Cuts Billions in Federal Funding, Revokes International Student Enrollment at Harvard

President Donald Trump has intensified his conflict with Harvard University by threatening to reallocate billions in federal research funding from Harvard to trade schools, citing accusations of antisemitism. This move follows earlier actions such as freezing $2.3 billion in federal research grants and attempting to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status, as well as a Department of Homeland Security order to bar international students from enrolling at Harvard, which was subsequently blocked by courts. Harvard President Alan Garber criticized these measures as counterproductive, emphasizing that the research funding supports high-priority government-designated work and that cutting it harms not only Harvard but also the nation’s scientific progress. Faculty and observers note that the Trump administration's actions have disrupted important research and disproportionately affected Jewish students and faculty, contradicting the administration’s stated goal of combating antisemitism on campus. Despite Harvard’s acknowledged challenges with campus antisemitism, critics argue that its academic and research excellence, including a large number of Nobel laureates and prominent alumni, make the administration’s punitive approach misguided and harmful. Harvard’s leadership has called on other universities to stand firm against these politically motivated attacks.