US Cuts $60 Million in CDC Grants to Harvard Over Antisemitism Failures

In a decisive move underscoring the growing demand for accountability in higher education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has canceled $60 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-related grants to Harvard University. The cancellation is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to sever federal funding from institutions that fail to confront antisemitism on their campuses.

According to a letter dated May 19 from Jamie Legier, the CDC’s chief grants management officer, Harvard was notified that “grant dollars should only support institutions that comply with principles and laws of nondiscrimination.” The letter directly cited findings from an April report by Harvard’s own Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias.

The report painted a troubling picture: deep-rooted antisemitic sentiment, anti-Israel discrimination, and an academic climate that undermines free inquiry and safety for Jewish students and faculty. Legier noted that Harvard failed to provide “safe, equal, and healthy working and learning conditions conducive to high-quality research.”

This latest $60 million cut adds to an already substantial funding withdrawal. On May 13, the federal Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism rescinded an additional $450 million in grants, following a previous $2.2 billion retraction last month. These actions signal a major shift in how federal agencies are responding to rising Jew-hatred in academia.

The controversy has intensified after Harvard President Alan Garber declined to testify before an upcoming Senate hearing examining antisemitism and ideological extremism in higher education. His absence has further fueled criticism of the university’s handling of these issues.

Harvard, long considered one of the world’s premier academic institutions, is now facing a moment of reckoning. Federal agencies are making clear that they will not continue to fund institutions that permit the normalization of antisemitism or provide a platform for hate under the guise of academic freedom.

This crackdown reflects growing bipartisan pressure to hold universities accountable. At a time when Jewish students across America are being harassed and marginalized, the message from Washington is unambiguous: antisemitism has no place in American institutions especially those funded by the public.

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