Small World, Big Issues

Did you know Harvard has lost over $2 billion in federal funding? ¹ And it’s not just Harvard. Trump’s administration has attacked many higher-ed institutions – and their motives go beyond antisemitism and DEIs.

Side note: Sorry for the late upload, this took a while to write.

Why is Trump Cutting College Funds?

Trump’s administration has halted funding for leading American universities that chose to not comply with the government’s demands ¹. There’s a list but here are the main purposes of cutting education funds:

1. Antisemitism – the prejudice or hostility against Jewish people ². Trump’s administration wants to reduce and abolish antisemitism sparking in American colleges. This was the main, broad claim Trump used to target several top universities in the U.S. ²
2. Eliminating DEIs (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) and Diversity Initiatives. DEIs are a broad term for a framework supporting marginalised groups and people from all backgrounds by creating a representative environment in schools, workplaces and institutions. He wishes for colleges to assess students based on ‘merit, accomplishment and character’ and believes DEIs undermine merit-based practices ³.  

The Antisemitism Argument

Trump has accused top colleges in the U.S. of enabling antisemitism. The concern for antisemitism began after the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which led to student protests that some say blurred the lines between political criticism and hate speech ⁴. 

Some students began to confuse Israelis with all Jewish people, which is inaccurate. Along with hate speech at certain protests, this contributed to a growing feeling of insecurity, with nearly a third of Jewish students reporting that their school was supporting antisemitic values, according to the American Jewish Committee 2024 Report ⁵. 

And they’re not wrong, antisemitism has risen. So has Islamophobia. No student, Muslim, Jewish, or any race should feel unsafe because of their background. 

What Jewish Leaders are Saying

Although antisemitism may be a serious concern in U.S. colleges, Jewish senators are speculating that the Trump administration is exploiting this issue for alternative motives ⁶, and I agree. 

It’s difficult to believe that there isn’t a different agenda to slashing billions of dollars in education funding just to combat antisemitism. 

If Trump’s goal is to target colleges that tolerate antisemitism on campus, why did Northwestern University make it on their list? ⁷

Prior to the publication of the list of colleges that would face funding cuts, Northwestern University took preventative measures of antisemitism, with a list of actionable steps that closely aligned with the government’s demands to Columbia. Yet, Northwestern University faced decreased funding ⁷. 

Jewish leaders and representatives are against Trump’s measures to cut education funding. Jewish democratic senators have sent assertive letters to Trump’s administration calling his measures “far beyond combating antisemitism” ⁸. 

President and CEO of New Jewish Narrative, a Jewish Advocacy Leader, rallied support, responding to Trump’s actions as “exploiting very real concerns about antisemitism” as an attack on higher education institutions ⁸. 

As of April 20, 800 Jewish scholars, professors and students criticised the Trump administration for unnecessarily targeting U.S. colleges, saying that the cuts were “doing nothing to protect the Jews”. Jewish leaders warned it may backfire, leading to increased hostility to their community ⁸. 

The Real-World Impact 

Universities are concerned that the sudden halt in education funding will end ‘academic freedom’ ⁹. These education funding cuts aren’t minor – they’re having huge impacts on students, employment of staff, research and internship opportunities. 

For Columbia, the lack of funds have resulted in cutting contracts for research and less opportunities for employment. Columbia received $400 million in funding cuts, forced to fire 180 staff who were supported by federal grants ¹⁰.

Due to lack of options, they yielded to Trump’s demands and complied to investigate students who are critical of Israel and create a new disciplinary committee ¹⁰.  

Harvard Won’t Yield

Harvard has refused to comply with the demands of Trump’s administration. The university’s president Alan Garber stated that ‘no government … should dictate what private universities teach’ ¹¹. 

Despite Harvard’s $53 billion endowment, the funding freeze is taking on a toll on employment contracts, medical research and affiliated hospitals ¹².

Harvard is standing firm, with support pouring in from alumni, students, staff and even former President Obama, endorsing Harvard’s stance as an ‘example for other higher-ed institutions’ ¹³. 

Truthfully, Harvard doesn’t have the best reputation regarding antisemitism. Last year, a Jewish Harvard graduate condemned Harvard for their antisemitic culture, filing a lawsuit. Harvard and Shabbos Kestenbaum, the Harvard graduate, chose to settle in court ¹⁴. 

Since then, Harvard has made progress in preventing and eliminating antisemitism on their campus ¹⁵. 

They have suspended an initiative that had accusations of anti-Israel bias and disregarded leaders for their Centre for Middle Eastern Studies ¹⁵. 

My Thoughts on the Real Agenda

Trump’s overall intention of combating antisemitism is reasonable. However, his measures are extreme, affecting students, staff and employment opportunities. 

The severe cuts in funding are forcing life-changing research to be put on pause including research on how cancer spreads throughout the body, predicting how infectious diseases spread and improving chances for children cancer survivors ¹⁶.

Additionally, it seems like Trump’s administration has another agenda besides combating antisemitism and abolishing DEIs. It appears to be an assertion of power, a move to reshape the education system and influence how the next generation of leaders think. 

Cutting funds that support the education and development of the next generation – future leaders that could drive global progress – doesn’t make sense. Especially when many of these students, particularly at these institutions, are bound to make a real impact. 

For me, this situation highlights the power imbalance between higher education institutions and the government. Despite these universities holding prestige, meaningful history and having adequate funding, they seem powerless against Trump’s administration. 

Is Free Speech at Risk?

The halt in funds flowing to universities creates fear for staff and students to freely express their thoughts.

Students will be worried about how they present themselves to others, particularly about political views and stances. They will refrain from expressing their opinion regarding diversity, racism and cultural issues. Encouragement to ‘speak your truth’ will fade as controversial opinions will have consequences. 

Antisemitism shouldn’t be condoned, and there is clearly a fine line between expressing one’s opinion and committing a crime. But staff and students should have the freedom to publish, showcase and discuss their political opinions surrounding issues like Israeli-Palestinian war in a respectful manner ¹⁷. 

While it may not be the administration’s intent to oppress students and staff of freedom of speech, it can give a misleading impression. 

For example, take Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University student who was detained under an order by the Trump administration, after co-authoring an opinion piece on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for her school newspaper ¹⁸. 

In the past month, students have been detained for publishing their opinion ¹⁸. What’s not to say that it won’t happen again?

Overall, the severe budget reductions disguise their motives as something positive, while actually suppressing the right to exercise their freedom of speech ¹⁹. 

This aggressive push isn’t just about antisemitism. It’s about power and stripping away the independence of private universities. 

Trump’s administration is pushing for less liberalised universities, and a country that will be ‘woke’ no longer’ ²⁰. They wish for their conservative mindset to be aligned at these top colleges, but how can all institutions agree on Trump’s views? On who to hire, who to admit into colleges and what to teach in class?

Now what?

Harvard has filed a lawsuit against Trump’s administration. With both parties being in the midst of a lawsuit, it’s difficult to have open negotiation ²¹. 

Trump’s top education official, Linda McMahon, expressed a desire for open dialogue with Harvard but the administration shows no signs of easing on their demands and restoring funding to U.S. colleges ²¹. 

This isn’t just about antisemitism – it’s about control. About stripping private universities of independence, silencing an open-minded outlook and forcing higher-ed institutions to fall in line with a conservative vision.

The future of academic freedom is uncertain. For now, the question is whether a diplomatic solution can break the dispute.

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References

1. Guardian staff reporter. 2025. “Trump Administration Gives Schools Deadline to Cut DEI or Lose Federal Funds.” The Guardian. The Guardian. February 18, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/18/trump-administration-schools-dei-programs-deadline.
2. Blinder, Alan. 2025. “Trump Has Targeted These Universities. Why?” The New York Times, April 9, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-university-college.html.
3. Kassam, Ashifa. 2025. “What Is DEI and Why Is Trump Opposed to It?” The Guardian. The Guardian. January 24, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/24/diversity-backlash-what-is-dei-and-why-is-trump-opposed-to-it.
4. Yousef, Odette. 2024. “Unpacking the Truth of Antisemitism on College Campuses.” NPR. NPR. April 25, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/04/25/1247253244/unpacking-the-truth-of-antisemitism-on-college-campuses.
5. American Jewish Committee. 2025. “Nearly One-Third of American Jewish College Students Feel Faculty Members Have Promoted Antisemitism or Learning Environments Hostile to Jews: New Survey.” AJC. February 18, 2025. https://www.ajc.org/news/nearly-one-third-of-american-jewish-college-students-feel-faculty-members-have-promoted-antisemitism.
6. Gedeon, Joseph. 2025. “Jewish Senators Accuse Trump of Exploiting Antisemitism to Target Universities.” The Guardian. The Guardian. April 24, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/apr/24/trump-antisemitism-universities-democrats-letter.
7. Blinder, Alan. 2025. “Trump Has Targeted These Universities. Why?” The New York Times, April 9, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-university-college.html.
8. Gedeon, Joseph. 2025. “Jewish Senators Accuse Trump of Exploiting Antisemitism to Target Universities.” The Guardian. The Guardian. April 24, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/apr/24/trump-antisemitism-universities-democrats-letter.
9. Blinder, Alan. 2025. “Trump Has Targeted These Universities. Why?” The New York Times, April 9, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-university-college.html.
10. Helmore, Edward. 2025. “Columbia University to Cut 180 Jobs due to Federal Grant Revocations.” The Guardian. The Guardian. May 6, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/06/columbia-university-job-cuts-grants-trump.
11. Levinson-King, Robin. 2025. “Harvard Just Stood up to Trump. How Long Can It Last?” BBC, April 16, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20z60vxvmjo.
12. Minsberg, Talya. 2025. “What to Know as Trump Freezes Federal Funds for Harvard and Other Universities.” The New York Times, April 16, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/us/politics/trump-university-funding-harvard.html.
13. Levinson-King, Robin. 2025. “Harvard Just Stood up to Trump. How Long Can It Last?” BBC, April 16, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20z60vxvmjo.
14. Hartocollis, Anemona. 2025. “Jewish Student Who Held out in Lawsuit against Harvard Agrees to Settle.” The New York Times, May 16, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/us/jewish-student-harvard-lawsuit-settlement.html.
15. Levinson-King, Robin. 2025. “Harvard Just Stood up to Trump. How Long Can It Last?” BBC, April 16, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20z60vxvmjo.
16. Garber, Alan. 2025. “Upholding Our Values, Defending Our University.” Harvard University President. April 21, 2025. https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2025/upholding-our-values-defending-our-university/.
17. Murnane, Connor. 2025. “Yes, Harvard Had It Coming — but Trump’s ‘Fix’ Is Still Unconstitutional.” The Hill. May 18, 2025. https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5304413-harvard-federal-funding-threats/.
18. Yang, Maya, and Noa Yachot. 2025. “Judge Orders Release on Bail of Tufts Student Battling Deportation Order.” The Guardian. The Guardian. May 9, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/trump-tufts-student-deportation-rumeysa-ozturk.
19. Murnane, Connor. 2025. “Yes, Harvard Had It Coming — but Trump’s ‘Fix’ Is Still Unconstitutional.” The Hill. May 18, 2025. 
20. Hutchinson, Bill. 2025. “Trump’s War on ‘Woke’: Both Sides Say the Issue Is Further Dividing the Country.” ABC News. April 29, 2025. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-war-woke-sides-issue-dividing-country/story?id=121125797.
21. Bender, Michael C. 2025. “McMahon Wants Trump Talks with Harvard to Resume, without Giving Ground.” The New York Times, May 17, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/17/us/politics/linda-mcmahon-harvard-trump.html.