HHS is terminating another $60 million in federal funding to Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard University, citing the institution’s alleged “failure to address anti-Semitic harassment and race discrimination,” the agency said May 19.
Four things to know:
1. The move marks the third federal funding cut to Harvard in the last six weeks, with losses totaling more than $2.7 billion, according to The Washington Post. The Trump administration paused $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to Harvard in mid-April after the university rejected a proposed agreement from the White House outlining conditions for federal funding. An additional $450 million in grant funding was pulled earlier this month.
“Despite repeated warnings and opportunities for reform, Harvard has not demonstrated the necessary commitment to eliminate discrimination and ensure a safe, inclusive environment for all students,” HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon told the Post after the latest funding freeze.
2. HHS did not disclose additional details about the grant cuts, though the agency did share a May 19 article on X from the conservative news site The Daily Caller that said canceled grants were tied to CDC funding, according to the report.
3. Harvard has denied the White House’s allegations and filed a lawsuit against the federal government April 21 seeking to block the funding freeze. Harvard says the funding cuts have threatened crucial research into cancer, obesity, organ transplantation and neurodegenerative diseases.
4. The university contends it has “taken many steps to address antisemitism on our campus” over the last 15 months and argues that the Trump administration is not willing to work with the institution “in a cooperative and constructive manner,” Harvard President Alan Garber, MD, PhD, wrote in an April 14 statement. Dr. Garber has taken a 25% pay cut to help offset the funding losses.
