The Trump administration has ratcheted up its feud with Harvard University, taking several punitive measures such as threatening to strip the school of its capacity to admit international students and audit its tax-exempt status, while freezing more than $2.2 billion in federal funding.
This tough line follows Harvard brazenly defying federal requests about campus activism, antisemitism, and diversity policy. President Donald Trump, reinforcing the administration’s message, on Thursday slammed Harvard as a “disgrace” to the press corps.
The Department of Homeland Security has mandated Harvard to deliver full records on or before April 30 regarding any “violent and illegal activities” committed by its international student visa holders. At the same time, the administration revoked two federal grants, worth a total of $2.7 million, and indicated that additional IRS probes into the tax-exempt status of the university were already in progress.
These actions attack the very heart of Harvard’s identity. International students make up 27% of students, especially at the graduate level, where international research collaboration and intellectual capital are central to the university’s prestige. Similarly, its $53 billion endowment—supported by large, tax-deductible gifts—depends significantly on the university’s nonprofit tax status.
Leo Gerdén, a Swedish senior majoring in economics and government, articulated the anxiety spreading across the campus. “Lots of international students at Harvard are afraid to speak out,” he said. “All student visas are under threat. What the Trump administration is attempting to do is split us apart.”
The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education have been working together to erase legal records and statuses of foreign students at various universities, sending students into confusion and the fear of deportation. It was reported that more than 1,000 foreign students at 160 universities have had their visa statuses revoked since late March, most of them for no large-scale violations of law.
Trump Administration: Is This a Coordinated Attack on Higher Education’s Core Pillars?
The Trump administration’s moves are broadly considered to be an attack on the foundational elements of American higher education—international engagement, freedom of expression, and institutional autonomy. The administration’s demand that Harvard discipline student protesters, overhaul admissions and hiring practices, and cleanse student organizations of ideological bias incited national outrage.
Harvard replied in no uncertain terms. On Monday, Harvard President Alan Garber indicated the university would not be obedient to what it considers to be unconstitutional requests, invoking First Amendment protections. “Harvard will not compromise its autonomy or abdicate its constitutional rights,” the university declared.
The following day, President Trump wrote on Truth Social, implying the tax-exempt status of the school should be stripped if it keeps endorsing “political, ideological, and terrorist-inspired sickness.” The White House later asserted the IRS probe into Harvard’s tax status had already commenced before Trump’s post, preserving a facade of legal independence.
However, a Treasury Department source revealed that IRS acting chief counsel Andrew De Mello had been instructed to begin the process of revocation immediately after the president’s message. The possible loss of tax-exempt status by Harvard would devastate its donor base and drastically hinder its ability to sponsor research and infrastructure.
Trump reiterated his position on Thursday: “Tax-exempt status—it’s a privilege. And it’s been abused by a lot more than Harvard. So we’ll see how it all works out.”
Funding threats are already materializing. The administration froze over $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in federal contracts following Harvard’s defiance. These grants are vital for ongoing academic research in health, science, and public policy.
The pressure campaign by the administration has been condemned by both previous and current government and academic leaders. Former Harvard University President and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers criticized the IRS threats. “Any self-respecting Treasury Secretary would resign rather than be complicit in the weaponization of the IRS,” he stated.
Simultaneously, the House Oversight Committee has launched an independent investigation, charging Harvard with not adhering to civil rights legislation. Republican legislators assert elite schools such as Harvard have facilitated antisemitism and racial discrimination by permitting pro-Palestinian demonstrations and DEI programs to thrive.
Ideologically, conservative policy designer Christopher Rufo called for more. “Cut the funding and watch the university implode,” he tweeted. Rufo referenced such things as race-only graduation ceremonies and student theater productions to make allegations of discriminatory treatment against white and Asian-American students.
The Trump administration’s tactic has already spilled over to other Ivy League schools. Columbia University initially buckled to similar demands after $400 million in federal funding was frozen. But spurred by Harvard’s resistance, Columbia became more confrontational, declaring some federal conditions “non-negotiable.”
Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president, echoed Harvard’s position, and Archon Fung, a professor of democracy at Harvard, urged solidarity throughout higher education. “The government has tremendous power,” Fung cautioned. “Taxing, investigating, freezing funds—we must ask who emerges victorious in this battle if universities fight alone.
At the core of this fight is the future of American academia’s independence from federal overreach. If Harvard falls, critics say, it could set a precedent for political meddling in campus governance across the country.
With the April 30 compliance deadline fast approaching, Harvard has a battle on its hands. But Harvard is determined to stand its ground and preserve academic freedom, diversity, and global inclusion, values that it believes are now directly targeted by the Trump administration.
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