Donald Trump’s government announced Monday that he froze 2.2 billion dollars in funds to Harvard university, one of the most prestigious in the world, after he refused to meet demands to “end” anti -Semitism on campus.
Harvard, like other educational centers in the United States, has been the scene of student protests against the Israel War in Gaza, an issue in the spotlight of the White House since Trump returned to power in January.
“The joint work group to combat anti -Semitism announced the freezing of 2.2 billion dollars in subsidies for several years,” the Department of Education said in a statement, as well as “multiannual contracts worth 60 million dollars.”
“The interruption of learning that has affected campus in recent years is unacceptable. Harassment to Jewish students is intolerable,” he completed.
The prestigious university had made public a letter aimed at students and personnel in which it challenged a long list of requests from the Trump administration about changes in its management, hiring practices and admissions policy.
In that text, Rector Alan Garber said that the institution “will not give up its independence or the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”
“The declaration of Harvard of today reinforces the worrying mentality that is endemic in the most prestigious universities and faculties of our nation: that federal investment does not come with the responsibility of defending civil rights laws, “the White House replied.
At the end of March, the US government announced that it was considering depriving the University of about 9,000 million dollars in federal subsidies.
“No government”
“No government, regardless of what party is in power, must dictate to private universities what they can teach, who can recruit and hire, or what issues can investigate,” rector Garber added in his letter.
Referred to the requirement of the Trump administration that Harvard “Audit” the opinions of students and teachers.
On this issue, the institution had already responded in another letter signed by its lawyers that “is not willing to accept demands that go beyond the legitimate authority of this or any other administration.”
In his opinion, Trump’s requests “contradict the first amendment” E “violate academic freedoms guaranteed for a long time by the Supreme Court.”
The first amendment of the US Constitution guarantees fundamental freedoms, in particular the expression.
The Government has already cut for similar reasons 400 million dollars in contributions to Columbia University, in New York, which unlike Harvard has committed to carrying out drastic reforms to try to recover those funds.
Federal subsidies suppose 11% of Harvard incomeon an annual budget of 6.4 billion dollars, according to data published by that private university located near Boston, in the northeast of the country.
