Washington: The conflict between Harvard University and US President Donald Trump intensified as the prestigious institution rejected far-reaching policy changes mandated by the White House. In response, Trump threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status.
Already grappling with financial challenges, Harvard faces a significant blow after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding. This action followed the university's refusal to adhere to extensive demands concerning governance, campus regulations, and civil rights enforcement.
Now, Trump has said that Harvard "should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity" if the premier college does not agree to his demands to change how it runs itself, which would include a selection of students and authority for professors.
Tax-exempt status is "totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST", he said in the post on Truth Social.
The Trump administration's demands, first issued in early April, included dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices, collaborating with immigration authorities to screen international students, and implementing extensive changes to hiring, admissions, and governance policies.
By Friday, the administration intensified its stance, presenting a more detailed list of requirements, such as conducting audits of political views among students and faculty. Harvard responded by publicly releasing the letter and firmly rejecting the proposed terms.
In a public letter addressed to students and faculty, Harvard President Alan Garber affirmed the university’s refusal to yield to government pressure. “We will not negotiate over our independence or constitutional rights,” Garber wrote. “No government should control what a private university teaches or whom it hires and admits.”
The Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism responded by announcing the suspension of multi-year federal grants totalling $2.2 billion and a halt on $60 million in existing government contracts.
The task force criticised Harvard’s position, stating, “Harvard’s response today reflects a mindset of entitlement that must be addressed. Taxpayer funding carries with it the duty to uphold civil rights protections.”
The move comes in the wake of rising tensions on US campuses, where protests over the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza have sparked widespread unrest. Many of these demonstrations have led to clashes with law enforcement and counter-protesters.
(inputs from IANS)