Harvard will receive no new grants until it meets White House demands, Trump administration says

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Monday that Harvard University will no longer receive grants from the federal government, citing its “disastrous management” and “ugly racism,” unless its complies with the Trump administration’s demands.

In a blistering letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, Ms. McMahon said the university has “made a mockery of this country’s higher education system” by ushering in anti-American foreign students, lowering academic standards, and engaging in racial preferences.

“Given these and other concerning allegations, this letter is to inform you that Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided,” Ms. McMahon said in the three-page letter posted on X.

“Harvard will cease to be a publicly funded institution, and can instead operate as a privately funded institution, drawing on its colossal endowment, and raising money from its large base of wealthy alumni,” she said. “You have an approximately $53 Billion head start.”

The figure referred to Harvard’s massive endowment, the largest of any U.S. university, saying “Harvard should have no problem using its overflowing endowment to fund its bloated bureaucracy.”

The fiery missive made it clear that the Trump administration has no intention of letting up in its offensive against Harvard, a battle that began as an assault on campus antisemitism but has since grown to encompass the institution’s financial standing, academic rigor, and political bias.

A Harvard spokesperson confirmed that the university has “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.”

“Today’s letter makes new threats to illegally withhold funding for lifesaving research and innovation in retaliation against Harvard for filing its lawsuit on April 21,” the spokesperson said in an email. 

“Harvard will continue to comply with the law, promote and encourage respect for viewpoint diversity, and combat antisemitism in our community,” the spokesperson said, while adding that the Ivy League school “will also continue to defend against illegal government overreach aimed at stifling research and innovation that make Americans safer and more secure.”

Last month, the administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts after Harvard rejected the Joint Task Force on Anti-Semitism’s list of demands, which included auditing departments with “egregious records of antisemitism,” ending DEI programs, and increasing viewpoint diversity.

Harvard sued, asking a federal court to resume its federal funding and declare the freeze unconstitutional, after which President Trump threatened to revoke the university’s tax-exempt status.

The university is also facing federal investigations over potential violations of federal law on reporting foreign gifts and allegations of racial discrimination at the Harvard Law Review.

“Receiving such taxpayer funds is a privilege, not a right,” Ms. McMahon said in her latest letter. “Yet instead of using these funds to advance the education of its students, Harvard is engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law.”

She ticked off a laundry list of grievances with Harvard, accusing the university of lowering its academic expectations, cozying up to Democratic politicians, and calling the plagiarism scandal that brought down former President Claudine Gay “an embarrassment to our Nation.”

Ms. McMahon also said she was concerned about the university’s financial management. The university said last month it plans to issue $750 million in taxable bonds, after which it expects to have $8.2 billion in debt, according to multiple reports.

The letter represented something of a departure for Ms. McMahon, a successful, no-nonsense businesswoman known for her professional demeanor but not her rhetorical flourishes.

With its flamboyant language, liberal use of adjectives, and colorful blasts at the administration’s foes, however, Ms. McMahon’s letter could have been written by the president himself.

“Where do so many of these ‘students’ come from, who are they, and how do they get into Harvard, or even into our country – and why is there so much HATE?” she asked in the letter.

Dear @Harvard: pic.twitter.com/XmMimXfkX0

— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) May 5, 2025

She specifically targeted Harvard Corporation Penny Pritzker, sister of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, calling her a “strongly left-leaning Obama political appointee” and “Democratic operative” who has run the board in a “totally chaotic way.”

The letter said that billionaire hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman, a Harvard graduate, has reported that “Harvard is not in a good financial position” and that its endowment is “massively overstated.”

“If this is true, it is concerning evidence of Harvard’s disastrous mismanagement, indicating an urgent need for massive reform – not continued taxpayer investment,” said Ms. McMahon.

The letter said nothing about Harvard’s access to federal student loans. 

Virtually all universities accept some form of federal funding, either directly in the form of grants and contracts, or indirectly through student loans.