The Trump administration has suspended more than 500 grants worth an additional $1 billion from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to Harvard University, a senior HHS official told the Daily Caller.
Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told the caller that the decision to suspend funds was because the agency was “condemned about its obligation to protect students on this campus from the effects of sidious anti-Semitism.” The grant includes people who fund training for scientists and other non-clinical court grant agencies, officials told callers. The frozen grants will not affect the care of children, officials added.
“Harvard University must fully comply with Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” a senior HHS official told callers about what the university needs to do to rule out funds. “They need to remedy the violation of Title IV regarding Jewish students on campus. They need to ensure that they are not violating Title 6 with regard to their admissions practices and provide sufficient assurance that this act will not be repeated.”
Signed protesters stand around the John Harvard statue at Harvard Yard after the attack by President Donald Trump at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 17, 2025. This week, $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
The Trump administration previously sent a list of requests to agencies, asking for several audits on the response to anti-Israel protests on campus and the admission process. The agency has issued an open letter that violates the administration’s demands. From there, the Trump administration moved to the university to freeze $2.2 billion. The action Monday shared by high-class HHS officials with callers adds to the $2.2 billion freeze. (Related: “It’s anti-Semitism at its heart”: Elise Stefanik takes on CNBC host against Trump’s Harvard fundraising freeze)
“[Harvard’s public letter] While it clearly shows that universities can respond quickly when motivated, they do not seem to be motivated enough to deal with ramp-prolonged anti-Semitism on this campus.
Since the Trump administration’s first request for opening a university, authorities have not received formal outreach from the institution, sources told the caller.
Just as there is an additional funding freeze for Harvard’s future, a senior HHS official told callers “all options are on the table,” but there were no specific grants currently considering a next pause.
“This is a suspension of grants, not a fire. So we can assume that Harvard has decided to return to compliance with federal civil rights laws and decides to return, and then revert,” a senior HHS official told the caller.
