Harvard University and the Trump administration are at odds over the terms of a potential settlement, after a private letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon appeared to contradict what Harvard says it has agreed to, reports the New York Times.
The letter, sent Saturday to Harvard President Alan M. Garber, described what McMahon portrayed as a shared understanding of an emerging deal between the university and the White House.
But Harvard officials say Garber has made clear in recent negotiations that the university would not pay the federal government to resolve a months-long dispute over antisemitism on campus and other issues.
McMahon’s message suggested the opposite, thanking Garber for what she characterized as a commitment to send $200 million to the government as part of an agreement.
Harvard University and the Trump administration are locked in a tense dispute over how, and whether, the school should settle federal complaints tied largely to antisemitism on campus and broader governance issues.
Trump came into office saying he would cut funding for schools that defied his agenda, vowing to eliminate "wokeness." His pressure campaign zeroed in on the Ivy League institution after it rebuffed his demands.
Trump’s administration has accused Harvard of tolerating antisemitism, particularly during last year’s protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
In a letter to Harvard, federal officials said the campus was "overrun by an impermissible, multiweek encampment" that left Jewish and Israeli students fearful and disrupted their studies.
Garber has acknowledged problems with antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias on campus, but said Harvard has taken strides to fight prejudice.
The administration previously reached settlement agreements with Columbia and Brown universities to resolve civil rights investigations and restore their federal research funding.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.