Trump ramps up fight with Harvard with threat to its accreditation, potentially jeopardizing its student aid
Share this @internewscast.com

The Trump administration has intensified its conflict with Harvard University, with federal agencies notifying the New England Commission of Higher Education that the Ivy League school might no longer fulfill accreditation standards due to breaches of federal antidiscrimination regulations.

The Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services issued a letter to NECHE on Wednesday, indicating that it must collaborate with Harvard to address these violations or revoke the 388-year-old institution’s accreditation.

“Harvard has been — and is — deliberately indifferent to the severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive harassment of Jewish and Israeli students by its own students and faculty,” stated Paula M. Stannard, Director of the HHS Office of Civil Rights, in the letter.


Photo of Donald Trump at a press conference.
Federal agencies under President Trump have written to Harvard University’s accreditor, saying it should lose its status due to violations of federal antidiscrimination laws. AFP via Getty Images

“By allowing antisemitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

In addition to signaling that an institution of higher learning meets certain quality and integrity standards, accreditation “is required for institutions to receive federal financial aid, including student loans and grants,” according to NECHE.

“When an institution — no matter how prestigious — abandons its mission and fails to protect its students, it forfeits the legitimacy that accreditation is designed to uphold,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.

The missive follows a shot across the bow fired last month by Trump’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, which warned Harvard president Alan Garber that the university was in violation of federal civil rights laws over campus antisemitism and that its federal funding was at risk.

“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” the June 30 letter said.

The letter was accompanied by a 57-page report by HHS detailing its findings resulting from 50 “listening sessions” held with Jewish Harvard students, which the agency alleges constitutes a “pattern of unlawful and unchecked discrimination” at the university.

After the letter was sent, the Commission put out a fact sheet explaining how the accreditation process works, noting that the federal government cannot actually force it to withdraw a university’s accreditation.

“The Commission’s policies and procedures, in accord with federal regulation, give institutions up to four years to come into compliance when found by the Commission to be out of compliance, which can be extended for good cause. Institutions in a non-compliance status remain accredited during this period of time,” The Hill reported.


Harvard University campus buildings.
The Cambridge, Mass.-based Ivy League has been engaged in a monthslong battle with Trump over antisemitism on campus. IBRESTER – stock.adobe.com

In a statement to The Post, a Harvard spokesman said the university has “taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community,” highlighting the sharing of its recent Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias Report, as well as “strengthened policies, disciplined those who violate them, encouraged civil discourse, and promoted open, respectful dialogue,” the statement read.

“Harvard has made significant strides to combat bigotry, hate and bias. We are not alone in confronting this challenge and recognize that this work is ongoing. “

Last month, the DOE sent a similar letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an accrediting institution that Columbia University belongs to, saying it, too, should lose its accreditation over its failure to contain antisemitism on its campus in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood.

The Trump administration also slapped Harvard with a subpoena Wednesday as part of its probe into the school’s foreign student exchange program — with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claiming the institution has “allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus.”

Trump had said he wants to curtail its admission of international students, which the Wall Street Journal estimates could cost the school $90 million a year in lost tuition.

A federal judge issued a temporary injunction on the ban last month, which the administration has vowed to appeal.

The administration has also yanked some $3.2 billion in federal contracts and grants from Harvard, and pulled around $700 million in federal research funds.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
House GOP Blocks Democratic Push to Release Epstein Files, Sparking Cover-Up Claims

House GOP Prevents Democrats’ Effort to Disclose Epstein Files, Leading to Allegations of a Cover-Up

House Republicans, with a 7-5 vote led by Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, blocked…
Orioles announcer Ben McDonald hospitalized after fall from deer stand

Orioles Announcer Ben McDonald Hospitalized Following Deer Stand Fall

Orioles announcer Ben McDonald was hospitalized after falling 25 feet from a…
The moment that put CC Sabathia on path to become Bronx legend

The Turning Point That Made CC Sabathia a Yankee Icon

In his debut season with the Yankees, CC Sabathia led the team…
LA County Sheriff identifies three veteran deputies killed in training facility explosion

Three veteran deputies identified after deadly explosion at LA County training facility

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released the names of the…
Samantha Harris gives health tips, road to 2025 Bud Billiken Parade, 'UnBroken' documentary on 'Windy City Weekend'

Samantha Harris Shares Health Tips, 2025 Bud Billiken Parade Insights, and ‘UnBroken’ Documentary Featured on ‘Windy City Weekend’

CHICAGO (WLS) — Television host, author, and certified health coach Samantha Harris…
Chris Martin of Coldplay performing at the Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show.

Everything You Need to Know About the CEO ‘Affair’ Scandal Shaking the Internet, From His Wife’s Revealing Actions to MERCH

During a Coldplay concert, what seemed like a playful moment led to…
Trump Teases Imminent Release of 10 More Hamas Hostages at Friday Night White House Dinner

Trump Hints at Possible Release of 10 More Hamas Hostages During White House Dinner

During a dinner at the White House with lawmakers, Trump praised the…
Venezuela releases 10 jailed US citizens in 3 country diplomatic swap

Venezuela Frees 10 Detained Americans Following Three-Nation Diplomatic Exchange

A plane carrying the released Americans arrived late Friday at Joint Base…
Security guard's 'swift move' stops determined anti-Israel agitator at Tour de France finish

Security Guard’s Quick Action Stops Anti-Israel Protester at Tour de France Finish

A protester opposing Israel’s involvement in the Tour de France was swiftly…
Catholic bishops call mandatory reporting law 'brazen act of religious discrimination'

Catholic Bishops Label Mandatory Reporting Law as ‘Blatant Religious Discrimination’

Roman Catholic leaders and the U.S. Justice Department are challenging a law…
DHS accuses 'activist' judge of pushing radical gender ideology by releasing trans migrant

The Department of Homeland Security claims that a ‘activist’ judge is promoting radical gender beliefs by allowing the release of a transgender migrant.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has criticized a federal judge in…

Tourist Boat Carrying 53 Capsizes in Vietnam: At Least 3 Dead, Search for Survivors Continues

AT least three people have died after a tourist boat capsized in…