Trump administration reviews billions in Harvard contracts and grants

The administration of President Donald Trump has announced it will undertake a “comprehensive review” of federal contracts with Harvard University, as part of its crackdown on anti-Semitism in the United States.

But critics fear the prestigious Ivy League university is the latest target in a purge of pro-Palestinian voices.

On Monday, three departments under Trump’s control — the Department of Education, the General Services Administration and the Health and Human Services Department — issued a press release saying that $255.6m in Harvard contracts and $8.7bn in multi-year grants are slated to come under the microscope.

“Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.

“Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic discrimination — all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry — has put its reputation in serious jeopardy.”

The announcement follows similar actions taken against another private Ivy League campus, Columbia University in New York, which saw millions in contracts revoked.

The Ivy League — and Columbia in particular — were an epicentre of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the US, after Israel launched a war against Gaza in October 2023.

Student encampments on Columbia’s lawn in April and May 2024 inspired similar protests around the country, as campus activists denounced school ties to Israel and called for an end to human rights abuses in Gaza.

Human rights groups and experts at the United Nations have accused Israel of using tactics consistent with genocide in the Palestinian territory.