Harvard President doubles down on fight against Trump administration over federal funding

Harvard President Alan Garber on Wednesday doubled down on his school's commitment to fight the Trump administration in its quarrel over federal funding and antisemitism, stating he would not compromise on certain issues despite the threats.

The statement is the latest development in the feud between the school and administration, which escalated after Harvard said it would not comply with the administration's demands over its handling of antisemitism. It later sued the administration over its attempt to freeze $2.2 billion in federal funding.

Garber told NBC News' host Lester Holt that he did not feel the school had a choice in fighting the administration for what he claimed was federal overreach. 

“We are defending what I believe is one of the most important lynchpins of the American economy and way of life — our universities,” Garber said. “We will not compromise on certain issues. We’ve made that very clear.”

The university president said the funding freeze impacts programs unrelated to antisemitism, including the school's research on cancer, the spread of infectious disease outbreaks, and reducing the risks of diseases like Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's.

“Putting that research at jeopardy because of claims of antisemitism seems to us to be misguided,” Garber said. “The effort to address antisemitism will not be advanced by shutting off funding.”

The White House has defended its actions, telling NBC News in a statement that the "real threat to higher education" comes when schools "coddle" pro-Hamas demonstrators.

“President Trump is standing up for every student denied an education or safe campus because left-wing universities fail to protect their civil rights," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said. "Colleges are hooked on federal cash, and Mr. Garber’s public outburst only fuels the push to shut off the taxpayer money propping up their institution.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage