HHS looks to bar Harvard from receiving federal funding over antisemitism

The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Monday announced it is seeking to end federal funding for Harvard University over its alleged inaction on campus antisemitism.

The Trump administration froze $2 billion in federal funding for Harvard as part of the battle between the Ivy League school and the federal government. But Harvard claimed that the freeze had impacted programs unrelated to antisemitism.

The department said it is referring Harvard for suspension and debarment proceedings after the school failed to address its violation of Title VI. 

The OCR found the school violated Title VI by acting with "deliberate indifference" toward the discrimination and harassment of its Jewish and Israeli students since October 7, 2023.

“OCR’s referral of Harvard for formal administrative proceedings reflects OCR’s commitment to safeguard both taxpayer investments and the broader public interest,” Paula M. Stannard, OCR Director, said in a statement.

“Congress has empowered Federal agencies to pursue Title VI compliance through formal enforcement mechanisms, including the termination of funding or denial of future Federal financial assistance, when voluntary compliance cannot be achieved," she added.

Harvard has 20 days to request a hearing on the allegations that it violated Title VI, which would be overseen by an HHS administrative law judge.

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