After threats, action. Donald Trump froze this Monday, April 14, $ 2.2 billion in subsidies at Harvard University, one of the most prestigious in the United States, who refuses to meet the demands of the White House, described as illegal and unconstitutional by university management, according to the Washinton Post.
The Trump administration accuses Harvard of letting anti -Semitism prosper on his campus and requires a series of radical changes in his direction, the admissions of his students and their hiring of staff. That university management rejected.
Harvard will continue “struggling against anti -Semitism” and will indicate that it remains “open to dialogue”, but “is not ready to accept requests that go beyond the legal authority of this administration or any other administration,” details himself in a letter from his management published by the Washington Post.
60 universities in Trump’s viewfinder
If Harvard has opposed the Trump administration, other universities from all over Atlantic are also in the White House viewer and threatened with frost of their subsidies.
The American Ministry of Education said in a press release dated April 10 that at least 60 schools and universities were subject to an investigation into their response to anti -Semitism.
“Today, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the United States Ministry of Education has sent letters to 60 higher education establishments that warn them about possible coercive measures if they did not meet their obligations (…) whose objective is to protect Jewish students on campus,” read the document.
“These letters are aimed at all American universities that are currently being investigated for violation of title VI in relation to harassment and anti -Semitic discrimination,” is specified.
And to the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to emphasize: “American universities benefit from considerable public investments funded by US taxpayers. This support is a privilege and is conditioned to scrupulous respect for federal anti -discriminatory laws.”
Therefore, the long list of universities that received a famous letter from the Trump administration is among the most prestigious in the country, especially those of Columbia, Princeton or Yale.
Cascade gels
In addition to Harvard, Princeton University has also seen its frozen subsidies. In response, its president later declared that the university would certainly collaborate with the Administration to fight for semitism, but nevertheless, would strongly defend academic freedom and the right to regular procedure, reports The Washington Post.
For its part, the University of Columbia was informed on March 7 of the 400 million dollar cup in federal subsidies. Its president was also forced to resign, for “his inability to put an end to anti -Semitism after the manifestations on the campus last year,” says CNN.
But ultimately, the prestigious Faculty of New York bent in the mandates of US authorities and, unlike Harvard, in recent weeks hired drastic reforms requested by the Administration to try to recover these funds.
“Academic freedom”
The universities of the Northwest and Cornell, described as “university institutions that tolerate anti -Semitism” by Donald Trump’s defense minister Trump, Pete Hegseth, were interrupted from $ 500 million in Pentagon subsidies.
“Harvard has shown an example to other higher education establishments by rejecting an illegal and clumsy attempt to suffocate academic freedom,” said former Democratic President Barack Obama, a law in 1991 of the prestigious university, in X.
“Hopefully other institutions continue,” he added.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), another recognized University of Boston, has brought two legal actions against financing reductions for several federal services.
“The recent actions of the Government interfere with the normal functioning of the MIT, reducing our ability to serve the nation,” Sally Kornbluth, president of the University on Monday, wrote.
11% of Harvard’s income
But none of these universities, for the moment, directly faced the threats of the Trump administration. Except Harvard. What a good number of commentators, including socialist senator Bernie Sanders.
“Congratulations to Harvard for having refused to give up his constitutional rights against Trump’s authoritarianism. Other universities should follow his example. And instead of working voluntarily for Trump, loose law firms should defend those who believe in law,” he wrote in X.
Therefore, the University of Cambridge will have to deprive itself of $ 2.2 billion in subsidies of several years and $ 60 million in contracts. Federal subsidies, particularly important in Harvard envelope for research, represent 11% of university income that, according to their latest financial evaluation, estimates its operating expenses at $ 6.4 billion in 2024.
Source: BFM TV
