President Donald Trump escalated his conflict with Harvard University this week, demanding a $1 billion settlement and threatening criminal prosecution after negotiations to restore federal funding collapsed.
Harvard University
The announcement represents a dramatic increase from the administration's previous $500 million demand and signals a hardening position after months of failed negotiations between the university and federal officials.
Harvard administrators have consistently refused any agreement involving direct cash payments to the government, according to The Harvard Crimson. Instead, university officials proposed a workforce development initiative valued at up to $500 million—an offer Trump dismissed as "wholly inadequate" and "merely a way of Harvard getting out of a large cash settlement."
"This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event, and Harvard will have to live with the consequences of their wrongdoings," Trump added in his social media post.
The Department of Education confirmed negotiations remain ongoing but provided no details about the pathway forward.
Harvard's standoff with the Trump administration contrasts sharply with approaches taken by other elite universities facing similar federal scrutiny over campus climate issues, particularly regarding antisemitism.
Columbia University agreed in July to pay the U.S. Treasury $200 million to restore federal funding. Brown University reached a $50 million deal with Rhode Island workforce development organizations over 10 years. Cornell University settled for $30 million over three years in November.
The administration has framed its actions as addressing antisemitism on college campuses following protests related to the war in Gaza. However, a federal judge in September ruled in Harvard's favor, ordering the restoration of more than $2 billion in frozen federal research funding. The government is appealing that decision.
The Trump administration has continued leveraging multiple federal mechanisms to pressure Harvard, repeatedly threatening to cut off research grants and using various government agencies to investigate the institution.
Harvard has not responded publicly to Trump's latest demands. CNN reported the university declined immediate comment on the president's Monday evening post.
The standoff raises questions about the precedent being set for federal-institutional relationships in higher education and whether other universities will face similar pressure to make direct financial payments to the government as a condition of receiving federal funding.
