Reuters reported that on May 5, a senior official in the US Department of Education said the agency would freeze billions of dollars in future research and aid funding for Harvard University until the school accepted a series of requests from the Trump administration.
In a letter to Harvard, US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon requested the school to address concerns related to practicing Buddhism on campus and admission policies taking into account race factors.
The school has also been accused of lacking diversity in political views due to limiting the recruitment of conservative lecturers.
Not stopping there, Ms. Mahon also stated that Harvard should not continue to seek funding from the federal government, because there will be no funding in the near future.
On Harvard's side, the school opposed the above requests, saying that this was an "unprecedented and inappropriate" intervention. The university warned that moves such as illegal funding suspension could seriously affect studies that could save lives.
A Harvard spokesperson stressed that the government is seeking to curb research and innovation, which are what makes the United States safer and stronger. The school affirmed that it will continue to fight to protect academic freedom.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has begun reviewing nearly $9 billion in federal funding for Harvard. The government has asked the school to ban activities promoting diversity, equality and integration (DEI), while suppressing pro-Palestinian groups and banning protests from wearing masks.
Last month, Harvard rejected many requests from President Trump, calling it an attack on academic freedom and freedom of speech. The school has also filed a lawsuit against the government, after being suspended about $2.3 billion in federal funding, and pledged to address discrimination on campus.
In the lawsuit, Harvard said the government's funding cut would have "serious real-life consequences" for patients, students, lecturers, staff and researchers, and threatening important medical and scientific research.
Harvard currently has a grant fund worth $53 billion, the largest among American universities. However, the majority of this money is tied to specific purposes such as scholarships or financial support, so it cannot be used to replace the cut research budget.
