In the biggest break between President Donald Trump’s second administration and U.S. higher education thus far, the administration announced Monday that Harvard University would see a freeze of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts after school officials refused to acquiesce to demands they combat anti-Semitism, stop racist policies, and implement viewpoint diversity on campus.
According to CNN, the move came on Monday evening after Harvard administrators announced publicly that they were rejecting the proposal earlier in the day.
The White House defended the Trump administration’s decision to yank funding from the university after its leaders rejected the proposal out of hand.
“We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement,” Harvard President Alan M. Garber said via a statement.
“President Trump is working to Make Higher Education Great Again by ending unchecked anti-Semitism and ensuring federal taxpayer dollars do not fund Harvard’s support of dangerous racial discrimination or racially motivated violence,” a White House spokesperson said, per CNN.
“Harvard or any institution that wishes to violate Title VI is, by law, not eligible for federal funding.”
Garber tried to paint the funding as absolutely necessary for the United