Washington, DC: According to Fox News, the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism of the Trump administration said that it is blocking over USD 2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts to Harvard University in Massachusetts. The decision was made when the president of Harvard University said in a statement that the university would not abide by the administration’s antisemitic demands.

The group said, “Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.”

It went on to say, “It is intolerable that campuses have been disrupting learning in recent years. It is unacceptable for Jewish students to be harassed.

According to Fox News, the task panel declared that USD 60 million in multi-year contract value and USD 2.2 billion in multi-year funding to Harvard University will be frozen.

The press release said, “It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”

“The Joint Task Force to combat anti-Semitism is announcing a freeze on USD 2.2 billion in multi-year grants and USD 60 million in multi-year contract value to Harvard University,” stated the Joint Task Force.

Following Harvard University President Alan M. Garber’s declaration that the university would not abide by the government’s requests despite the potential loss of federal money, the Trump administration made its decision.

In his letter, Garber said that because of charges of anti-Semitism on their campuses, the federal government has endangered its collaborations with a number of colleges, including Harvard.

According to him, the Trump administration released a revised and enlarged set of requirements, stating that the institution must abide by them if it hopes to keep its financial connections with the federal government.

“The administration released a revised and enlarged list of demands late Friday evening, warning that Harvard must comply if we intend to to’maintain [our] financial relationship with the federal government,'” Garber stated in his letter. It makes it apparent that the goal is not to collaborate with us in order to combat antisemitism in a positive and cooperative way. The bulk of the government’s requests involve direct government supervision of Harvard’s “intellectual conditions,” even if some of them are intended to prevent antisemitism.

They have told the government that they would not accept their proposed deal, according to Alan M. Garber.

“Our legal counsel has notified the government that we will not be accepting their suggested arrangement. In the letter, Garber said, “The University will not cede its autonomy or its constitutional rights.

According to Fox News, US President Donald Trump has banned government funding to all Ivy League universities save Penn and Dartmouth due to an investigation into anti-Israel demonstrations that have occurred on their campuses since October 2023. For the same reason, the investigation has impacted the funding of hundreds of other colleges.

A federal antisemitic task panel said earlier this month that it will evaluate Harvard’s almost USD 9 billion in government grants and contracts.

After claiming that previous US President Joe Biden failed to hold colleges responsible for their violent rallies, the Trump administration has pledged to take a more active approach to eradicating antisemitism on American campuses. Additionally, foreign students who participated in or organized anti-Israel demonstrations at US institutions would be detained and deported by the Trump administration.