Trump seeks $1B from Harvard in federal funding dispute

By Esther Wickham
The Center Square

President Donald Trump is now seeking a $1 billion payment from Harvard University as part of an effort to resolve an ongoing dispute with the Ivy League over alleged discrimination violations.

Starting in 2025, the Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funds from Harvard and other universities, citing concerns related to campus protests over the war in Gaza, diversity programs and transgender policies.

Administration officials and Harvard representatives have held discussions for several months. In September, Trump said Harvard would need to pay $500 million to regain access to federal funding.

But Trump this week said he was increasing that number to $1 billion following Harvard’s failure to pay the $500 million.

Former Harvard President Claudine Gay criticized that proposal, calling the amount arbitrary and unjustified.

Harvard has filed two lawsuits challenging the administration’s actions, arguing it is being penalized for declining to adopt the administration’s policy positions.

In December, a federal judge blocked the funding cuts, ruling that the administration had not adequately justified them.

Judge Allison Burroughs of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts described the administration’s antisemitism reason as insufficient and said the funding freeze conflicted with First Amendment protections.

Burroughs, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, noted the Trump administration “failed to provide a reasoned explanation for how or why freezing and terminating funding would further the goal of ending antisemitism.”

Since beginning his second term, Trump has argued that elite universities are dominated by liberal ideology and have not adequately addressed antisemitism. His administration has frozen significant amounts of federal research funding, which many institutions rely on for scientific and medical research.

In September, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to Harvard requesting documents related to its undergraduate admissions process. The department said Harvard previously declined to provide the information and alleged the university continues to engage in “unlawful racial discrimination in its admissions process.”

The Center Square reached out to Harvard University for a comment, but did not receive a response.