CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 29: The John Weeks Footbridge with Harvard behind it on June 29, 2023 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admission policies used by Harvard and the University of North Carolina violate the Constitution, bringing an end to affirmative action in higher education. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
The Trump administration says it is reviewing federal contracts and grants to Harvard University as "part of the ongoing efforts of the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism."
The Department of Education said Monday in a press release that it was announcing the comprehensive review alongside the Department of Health and Human Services and General Services Administration.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
"Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations — the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world to work hard and earn admission to the storied institution," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. "Harvard's failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic discrimination — all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry — has put its reputation in serious jeopardy. Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus."
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
The departments said the task force will review "more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates" and "more than $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard University, its affiliates and the Federal Government."
NBC News reached out to Harvard University for comment, but has not yet heard back.
The agencies pointed to the task force's "similar ongoing review of Columbia University." That school — like Harvard, an Ivy League institution — agreed earlier this month to a set of the Trump administration's demands under threat to its federal funding.
Columbia overhauled its rules for protest and conducted a review to its regional studies programs, "starting immediately with the Middle East."
The agencies didn't name any demands in announcing the review of Harvard, but it ordered the school "to submit a comprehensive list of all contracts — both direct and through affiliates — between their institution and the federal government that were not included in the initial review."
Columbia's interim president, Katrina Armstrong, who announced the changes, stepped down last week. This weekend, some alumni tore up their Columbia diplomas in protest.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report
