Harvard's federal aid halted after refusing to comply with Trump's demands

Washington: Federal aid to Harvard University, one of America’s top universities, has been frozen after it refused to comply with President Donald Trump’s administration demands.

US President Donald Trump’s administration sent a letter to Harvard University on Friday, demanding, among other things, that the university reduce the powers of students and faculty at the university.

The letter asked the university to immediately report violations by students from abroad to federal authorities and to hire an outside agency or person to monitor each academic department.

However, Harvard University called these demands illegal.

Harvard President Alan Garber said that no government, regardless of party, has the authority to decide what private universities should teach, who should research, and who should be admitted or employed.

Harvard lawyers also said that the university is not ready to accept demands that exceed the legal powers of the current or any administration.

Harvard's refusal has set up a confrontation between the nation's richest university and the Trump administration.

Harvard University's federal aid freeze

The US Department of Education has frozen federal aid to Harvard University after it refused to comply with the demands of the Trump administration.

The US Department of Education says it is freezing $2.3 billion in federal funds for Harvard University, including $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contract value.

The Trump administration said in March that it was reviewing Harvard's nearly $256 million in federal contracts and another $8.7 billion in grant promises because the university had not taken sufficient steps to curb anti-Semitic behavior on campus.