Trump administration says Harvard will receive no new grants until...

The US Education Department announced Monday that Harvard University will not receive new federal grants until it meets a series of demands from President Donald Trump’s administration.

In a press call, an Education Department official was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that Harvard will receive no new federal grants until it “demonstrates responsible management of the university” and satisfies federal demands on a range of subjects.

The ban applies to federal research grants and not to federal financial aid that helps students cover college tuition and fees, the report added.

To become eligible for new grants, Harvard would now need to enter negotiations with the federal government and prove it has satisfied the administration’s requirements.

The administration previously froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard even as Trump pushes to strip the school of its tax-exempt status.

What has Trump admn demanded?

The Trump administration demanded that Harvard make broad government and leadership changes, revise its admissions policy and audit its faculty and student body to ensure the campus is home to many points of view, AP reported.

The demands are part of a pressure campaign targeting several other high-profile universities. The administration has cut off money to colleges including Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, seeking compliance with Trump’s agenda.

The White House said it's targeting campus antisemitism after pro-Palestinian protests swept US college campuses last year.

Harvard's ‘failures’

The official accused Harvard of “serious failures", saying that Harvard has allowed antisemitism and racial discrimination to perpetuate. It was alleged that Harvard abandoned rigorous academic standards, and it failed to allow a range of views on its campus.

In a letter Monday to Harvard's president, Education Secretary Linda McMahon accused the school of enrolling foreign students who showed contempt for the US. “Harvard University has made a mockery of this country’s higher education system,” McMahon wrote.

What has Harvard said

Harvard’s president previously said he will not bend to the government’s demands. The university sued last month to halt the government's funding freeze.

A Harvard statement on Monday reiterated the university’s refusal to acquiesce and said the government was retaliating for Harvard's lawsuit.

“Today, we received another letter from the administration doubling down on demands that would impose unprecedented and improper control over Harvard University and would have chilling implications for higher education,” Harvard said.

The university said it will “continue to defend against illegal government overreach aimed at stifling research and innovation that make Americans safer and more secure.”

In a conversation with alumni last week, Harvard President Alan Garber acknowledged there was a “kernel of truth” to criticism over antisemitism, freedom of speech and wide viewpoints at Harvard. But he said the conflict with the federal government has become a threat to the school’s autonomy.

“We were faced with a recent demand from the federal government that, in the guise of combating antisemitism, raised new issues of control that frankly we did not anticipate, getting to the heart of governance," Garber said. “We felt that we had to take a stand.”