The Department of Education and other agencies is reviewing Harvard University for promoting anti -Semitism on its campus, Secretary Linda McMahon said on Monday.
“Harvard’s failure to protect students on the anti -Semitic discrimination campus, all while promoting divisive ideologies on free research, has put its reputation in great danger,” McMahon said in a statement.
“Harvard can correct these errors and restore a campus dedicated to academic excellence and the search for truth, where all students feel safe on their campus,” he said.
A person goes to Elliot House at Harvard University, on March 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
The Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration of General Services join the comprehensive review of the school.
The measure occurs when the joint task force of the administration doubles by eliminating the anti -Semitic behavior and harassment of elite universities. The Administration stripped Columbia University of $ 400 million in subsidies earlier this month after an investigation of the work group found school inaction to protect Jewish students.
Monday’s actions against Harvard are produced after a review similar to Columbia to accept complying with nine previous conditions for additional negotiations regarding the return of the federal funds canceled, according to the statement.
The working group will review hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to Harvard and its affiliates, according to the statement.
The agencies will also review other almost $ 9 billion in subsidies to Harvard to ensure that they comply with “federal regulations” and “civil rights responsibilities,” said the statement.
In response to the review, the president of Harvard, Alan Garber, issued a statement saying: “We completely adopted the important objective of combating anti -Semitism, one of the most insidious ways of intolerance.”
“It is present on our campus,” Garber continued, “I have experienced an anti -Semitism directly, even while I am serving as president, and I know how harmful it can be for a student who has come to learn and make friends in a university or university.”
Garber said, however, that the $ 9 billion in federal funds that are “at stake”, since the university works to combat anti -Semitism could stop the “research that saves lives and impulse in important scientific research and innovation.”
“As an institution and as a community, we recognize our deficiencies, we seek the necessary change and build stronger ties that allow everyone to prosper,” Garber added.
Harvard aluminum representative Kevin Kiley, a California Republican, told ABC News that he believes that many universities have not been controlled for tents camps and hostile demonstrations that involved students who advanced the buildings on the campus in response to the Israel-Shamas conflict that exploded after Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on October 7 2023.
Kiley, which is in the Chamber of Education and Workforce Committee, described the “incredibly refreshing” administration review and a proactive solution to protect civil rights and the safety of Harvard’s Jewish students.
“We need to ensure that the rules are applied, that civil rights laws are fulfilled and that there are consequences for illegal activity,” Kiley said.
Pro-Palestinian protesters protest outside Harvard Yard during the 2024 class graduation ceremony of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, May 23, 2024.
Rick Friedman/AFP through Getty Images
The Oregon Democratic Representative, Suzanne Bonamici, is also a member of the Education Committee and the workforce and together with the Kiley representative, Bonamici is a member of the Higher Education Subcommittee.
Bonamici told ABC News that he believes that the administration has been promoting a worrying attack against higher education institutions.
She said that threatening with federal funds is a bridge too far. “There are ways to address anti -Semitism that do not imply this type of threat,” said Bonamici, adding: “What they are trying to do is intimidate these universities, as they are doing with law firms, intimidate them in taking positions that are antithetical to higher education and free thinking and critical thinking, so it is extremely worrying.”
The protests exploded on university campuses throughout the country after civil victims increased in Gaza when Israel launched a military campaign in response to October 7, promising to eradicate Hamas, which the United States has designated a terrorist organization.
The federal response occurs after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ordered McMahon to abolish the Department of Education and another order that takes measures to combat anti -Semitism “vigorously.”
Harvard’s review also highlights the promise of the administration to ensure that universities suffer federal consequences if they encourage anti -Semitic protests and manifestations following October 7.
On the path of the campaign, Trump said: “My promise to American Jews is this: with his vote, I will be his defender, his protector and I will be the best friend that the American Jews have had in the White House.”
Meanwhile, Congress is investigating Harvard and almost a dozen other schools for allegedly promoting anti -Semitism on campus.
A report by the Committee of Education and Labor Force of the House of Representatives The past fall discovered that many universities have not been able to properly discipline anti -Semitic behavior. A summary of the more than 100 -page report He alleges that the “overwhelming majority” of students accused of anti -Semitic harassment or other acts of anti -Semitism on campus faced minimal disciplinary measures for their alleged violations.
