Trump Administration Clashes with Universities Over Funding

A 17-year-old high school student from Wisconsin, Nikita Casap, has been charged with killing his parents as part of a plot to assassinate US President Donald Trump. The FBI alleges that Casap's actions were part of a larger plan to overthrow the government, and that he had expressed white supremacist beliefs and praised Adolf Hitler. Investigators found evidence on his phone linking him to a neo-Nazi group and detailing plans to kill Trump, as well as antisemitic writings and communication with individuals in Russia about his plans. Casap is being held on a $1m bond and faces charges including first-degree intentional homicide.

The Trump administration announced a freeze on $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contract value at Harvard University after the university rejected its demands for policy changes, including eliminating diversity programs, banning masks at campus protests, and merit-based hiring reforms. Harvard's president stated that the university would not surrender its independence or constitutional rights, and a lawsuit was filed against the administration by the Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

The Trump administration is exerting pressure on universities, particularly elite institutions, to shift their ideological tilt and suppress "woke" ideology, with the goal of compelling a cultural change in how Jewish Americans are treated on college campuses. The effort, led by President Trump and his top aides, including Stephen Miller, involves controlling huge sums of federal research money and scrutinizing universities for potential civil rights violations. The administration has formed a task force to combat antisemitism, which has opened investigations into several top universities, including Columbia and Harvard, and has made demands such as changing hiring and admissions policies and shuttering diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Harvard has refused to comply, and the task force has responded by freezing over $2.2 billion in grants and contracts. The Education Department has warned 60 universities that they could face repercussions from pending investigations, leaving university leaders stunned and concerned about the attack on academic freedom.

Harvard University responded to a letter from the Trump Administration, represented by law firms Quinn Emanuel and King & Spalding, stating that it has made significant changes to combat antisemitism and bigotry on campus. Harvard expressed its commitment to fighting discrimination, having implemented new policies, enhanced programs to address bias, and increased safety measures over the past 15 months. However, the university objected to the government's demands, citing they infringe upon its First Amendment rights and statutory rights, and threaten its independence by conditioning billions of dollars in federal funding on compliance. Harvard refused to accept the government's terms but remained open to discussing its efforts to improve the university experience for all members.

The Trump Administration sent a letter to Harvard University demanding reforms in exchange for maintaining its financial relationship with the federal government. The letter cites Harvard's failure to uphold federal civil rights laws and its alleged ideological capture. The proposed reforms include: governance and leadership changes to empower tenured professors and reduce the influence of students and untenured faculty; merit-based hiring and admissions policies, eliminating preferences based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; reforms to international student admissions to prevent students hostile to American values; and measures to promote viewpoint diversity in admissions and hiring. The letter also calls for audits and public certifications to ensure compliance, and requires Harvard to reform programs with records of antisemitism or other bias.

The Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to Harvard University and a $60 million contract after Harvard refused to comply with a list of demands that the administration said were necessary to continue receiving federal funding. The demands included reducing the power of students and faculty, reporting foreign students who commit conduct violations, and ensuring "viewpoint diversity" in academic departments. Harvard's president, Alan Garber, called the demands "illegal" and said the university would not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. The move marked a showdown between the federal government and Harvard, with other universities watching closely as they have also faced pressure from the administration to comply with similar demands.

The Trump administration has proposed cutting the budget of the State Department and USAID by nearly half to $28.4 billion, a decline of $27 billion or 48 percent from 2025 funding levels, with significant reductions in humanitarian assistance, global health, and international organizations.