Trump admin freezes billions in funding to Harvard University after rejecting demands

After Harvard University said it is refusing to comply with a series of demands from President Donald Trump's administration, the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced a multi-billion-dollar freeze on funding to the university.

The administration's task force said on Monday evening it would withhold $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value to the institution.

"The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support," the task force said in a statement.

The decision comes after?Harvard University President Alan Garber said in a letter on Monday, the school "will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights" by agreeing to a series of terms proposed by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration had demanded that Harvard end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs; adopt merit-based admissions; and cooperate with immigration authorities -- or risk losing $9 billion in federal funding. Garber at the time said the loss of funding would "halt life-saving research."

Garber said the loss of funding based on policy choices violates the first amendment and would "halt life-saving research."

Harvard's rejection of Trump's demands marks the first time a major university has pushed back against funding threats made by the Trump administration.

In a letter on April 11, the Trump administration argued that the school "failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment" and proposed terms including changing the school's governance, adopting merit-based hiring, shuttering any DEI programs and allowing "audits" to ensure "viewpoint diversity."

In response, Harvard's president said the school is committed to making changes to create a "welcoming and supportive learning environment" and reaffirmed the school's vow to fight antisemitism. However, he argued the Trump administration's requests would go too far.

"The administration's prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard's First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government's authority under Title VI," Garber wrote. "And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge. No government -- regardless of which party is in power -- should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue."

The letter came days after faculty members at Harvard University asked a federal judge to block the Trump administration's attempt to cut off billions in funding, arguing the threat of a funding cut is an "existential 'gun to the head' for a university."

In a lawsuit filed on April 11, two groups representing the faculty of Harvard University argued that the Trump administration is overstepping its authority by "undermining free speech and academic inquiry in service of the government's political or policy preferences."

"This case involves an unprecedented threat from the Trump administration to withhold nearly nine billion dollars in federal funding to one of our nation's leading universities unless it accedes to changes that fundamentally compromise the university's independence and the free speech rights of its faculty and students," the lawsuit alleged, asking a judge to issue an emergency order that would bar the Trump administration from making funding conditional on policy changes.

The American Association of University Professors and its chapter at Harvard argued that the Trump administration failed to follow the specific procedure put in place by the Civil Rights Act to terminate funding, instead threatening to terminate $255 million in funding, in addition to nearly $9 billion in multiyear grants, unless the school implements a series of policy changes.

"These sweeping yet indeterminate demands are not remedies targeting the causes of any determination of noncompliance with federal law. Instead, they overtly seek to impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the University to punishing disfavored speech," the lawsuit alleged.

Others within the higher education community have stood with Harvard in its response.

Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president of the advocacy group the Education Trust, told ABC News the decision by Garber to reject the administration's demands is being celebrated throughout the higher education community.

"What it really represents for higher education is hope," Del Pilar said, adding: "It represents hope for institutions that have been afraid to stand up to an administration that is trying to implement its will, on not only the admissions of institutions, but ultimately on the curriculum as well."

Former President Barack Obama, who went to Harvard Law School, praised Harvard University for its rejection of Trump’s demands in a post on social media late Monday.

“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions -- rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect,” Obama wrote. “Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”

Obama did not specifically address the funding freeze announced by the Trump administration.

The confrontation follows similar actions against other prestigious universities.

Last month, Columbia University agreed to comply with the administration's demands regarding campus policies and governance after its federal funding was suspended following campus protests. The agreement came after the administration cited concerns about antisemitism and public safety.

The Department of Education has also initiated investigations into Cornell University and Northwestern University, according to White House officials. The Trump administration has halted more than $1 billion in federal funding to Cornell and $790 million to Northwestern due to investigations into alleged civil rights violations.

ABC News' Selina Wang and Arthur Jones II contributed to this report.