Trump admin sets terms, orders DEI rollback and protections for Jewish students for Harvard to preserve $9B in federal funding

As Harvard University in Massachusetts undergoes a federal review of nearly $9 billion in federal funding, the Trump administration laid out a list of measures for the institution to take regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and combating anti-Semitism in order to safeguard its funding.

In a letter to Harvard University President Alan Garber, the Trump administration’s Task Force on Anti-Semitism outlined the ways Harvard must comply with federal law to avoid forfeiting its federal funding. 

The administration directed Harvard to implement a mask ban, cooperate with law enforcement agencies, hold protesters accountable by “report[ing] on disciplinary actions for anti-Semitic rule violations,” and make changes to “programs and departments that fuel anti-Semitic harassment.”

These measures align closely with those given to Columbia University to restore $400 million in frozen federal funding.

The list of conditions presented to Harvard came three days after the Trump administration announced a review of roughly $9 billion that the Ivy League school receives from the federal government, as Campus Reform reported. 

[RELATED: Trump admin to freeze $510M to Brown University over anti-Semitism, DEI on campus]

The Trump administration’s ultimatum also called for sweeping changes related to DEI programming.

The administration directed Harvard to “shutter” DEI programs and adopt merit-based admissions policies and “merit-based hiring reform.”

Harvard must “cease all preferences based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” in admissions and hiring practices.

These demands align with the United States Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against race-based college admissions in the landmark Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard case, which was previously reported on by Campus Reform.

These measures also align with President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunity,” which seek to end “illegal DEI discrimination” and restore fair hiring practices.

[RELATED: Trump admin freezes funds to Maine over refusal to protect women’s sports]

Critics of DEI frequently claim that promoting this ideology comes at the expense of actual academic skills and scholarly achievement. 

Harvard, for example, has launched a remedial math course after noticing students’ poor knowledge of algebra. The new “MA5” course offered by the Department of Mathematics provides “extra support” that “will target foundational skills in algebra [and] geometry” for students. The class meets five days a week and “students will be identified for enrollment…via a skill check before the start of the term,” according to the course description.

Campus Reform previously reported that Harvard’s School of Public Health shared an article in 2020 claiming that 2 plus 2 could equal five. The article quoted a Ph.D. student who suggested that mathematics can be subjective because it is “Western.” 

As Harvard works to meet the conditions outlined by the Trump administration, it must implement significant changes to its DEI policies, admissions practices, and accountability measures related to anti-Semitism to avoid losing federal funding. 

Campus Reform has contacted Harvard University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.