To win his showdown against Harvard, the White House plays the money card. The Trump administration announced on Monday the freezing of $ 2.2 billion in subsidies at this university after its refusal to comply with its requirements.
Harvard, like other American universities, has been the scene of a student mobilization against the war waged by Israel in Gaza, and targeted by Donald Trump since his return to power.
Power criticizes “the harassment of Jewish students”
“The Task Joint Anti -Semitism Force announces the freezing of $ 2.2 billion in subsidies over several years,” said a statement from the US Ministry of Education, as well as that of “multi -year contracts worth $ 60 million”.
“The disruption of learning that has struck campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. (…) It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and undertake to make significant changes if they want to continue to benefit from the support of taxpayers, “the statement said.
The United States government announced at the end of March that it was planning to deprive the prestigious university of around $ 9 billion in federal subsidies after a “full exam”, accusing it of letting “anti -Semitism” prosper on its campus. At the beginning of April, he had transmitted several requirements to management, including the end of programs aimed at promoting diversity and changes in programs that “feed anti -Semitic harassment”, according to a letter published by the Washington Post.
Harvard highlights freedom of expression
In a letter addressed to students and the teaching staff, the president of the university, Alan Garber, assured earlier Monday that Harvard “will not abdicate his independence or his rights guaranteed by the Constitution”. “No government, whatever the ruling party, should dictate to private universities what they must teach, which they can enlist and hire, or on what subjects they can conduct research,” he wrote.
The Trump administration had notably called for Harvard an “audit” of the opinions of students and the teaching staff, to which the institution had responded in a letter signed by its lawyers: “Harvard is not ready to accept requirements that go beyond the legitimate authority of this administration or any other. “According to them, the requirements the administration are” in contradiction with the first amendment “, in particular freedom of expression, and” encroach on university freedoms guaranteed for a long time by the Supreme Court “.
Our file on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Federal subsidies represent 11 % of Harvard revenues, on an annual budget of $ 6.4 billion.
