Trump freezes $2.2bn in grants after Harvard defies demands

University says won't 'surrender independence' amid calls to curb campus activism

20250415 Harvard file photo

Hundreds of demonstrators gather during a rally on Cambridge Common at the historic park in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 12, calling on Harvard University to resist what organizers described as attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump to influence the institution. (The Boston Globe via AP)

BOSTON (AP) -- The federal government says it's freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University, after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration's demands to limit activism on campus.

In a letter to Harvard Friday, President Donald Trump's administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the university, as well as changes to its admissions policies. It also demanded the university audit views of diversity on campus, and stop recognizing some student clubs.

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