Trump to Freeze $2 Billion After Harvard Refuses Demands

The Trump administration acted quickly on Tuesday to punish Harvard University after it refused to comply with a list of demands from the federal government that the school said were unlawful.

- THE NEW YORK TIMES

On Monday afternoon, Harvard became the first university to refuse to comply with the administration's requirements, setting up a showdown between the federal government and the nation's wealthiest university.

By the evening, federal officials said they would freeze $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to Harvard, along with a $60 million contract.

Other universities have pushed back against the administration's interference in higher education. But Harvard's response, which called the Trump administration's demands illegal, marked a major shift in tone for the nation's most influential school, which has been criticized in recent weeks for capitulating to Trump administration pressure.