The United States was founded upon the fundamental principles of freedom and free speech, but now, President Trump is cutting research grants for Harvard University over political differences, setting a precedent that endangers the rule of law in America.
Since President Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, the Trump Administration has vowed to target American education in order to deliver on his campaign goal of dismantling the Department of Education and putting an end to DEI programs across the country. However, the administration has extended its reach far beyond reasonable territory.
Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health has received unprecedented cuts associated with its research, which include LGBTQIA+ health, climate change, maternal mortality and breast cancer. DEI programs at Harvard, in addition to LGBTQIA+ health research, have been the main reason for the Trump Administration’s cancellation of research grants.
Harvard consistently ranks as a top university for oncology, leading vital cancer research across the United States. However, the Trump Administration’s cuts to more than $2.2 billion in federal research grants (over Harvard’s DEI initiatives and alleged Anti-Semitism) puts all of that progress in jeopardy, setting a dangerous paradigm that could normalize retaliation against educational institutions over political disagreements. President Trump isn’t just cutting funding; he’s slowing down significant research in science, health and other fields that benefit from Harvard’s contributions.
The Trump Administration’s assault on Harvard is merely a symptom of a broader attack on American education itself. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who has overseen many of the disputes between Harvard and the Trump Administration, demonstrates the administration’s disregard for the well-being of American students. McMahon and President Trump recently announced the administration will halt $1 billion in mental health funding grants for public school districts. These grants included hiring counselors, social workers and mental health professionals. For the Trump Administration to be as comfortable as they are cutting essential education program grants, who’s to say they won’t target other sectors of the education department next? We must be able to speak our voices as students and educational institutions. We must be able to disagree with the government without fear of being reprimanded or censored or having essential funding and programs cut.
When President Trump took the oath of office, he swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” However, when asked in an NBC interview on May 4 if he had to uphold the Constitution, he replied: “I don’t know.” If the President can’t affirm his oath of office, how can we trust him to execute the powers of the President faithfully?
For the sake of our educational freedoms, the Trump Administration must keep its hands away from educational funding. It’s crucial for American citizens and students to retain their First Amendment rights. If we can’t trust our government to act according to established principles, we must resort to defending them as students. While President Trump has defunded other universities such as Princeton, Columbia and Northwestern, there’s no guarantee that the President won’t order Secretary McMahon to dismantle the very freedoms that students have been guaranteed for centuries.
In Harvard University’s own words: “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
We cannot let President Trump defy the constitutional laws established for over 200 years. Educational institutions should not be punished for speaking out against an administration that has already shown it has no respect for the rule of law. We shouldn’t have to confine ourselves to the Trump Administration’s apparent desire to strip students of their civil rights.
Harvard University should not surrender to President Trump’s unlawful demands to interfere with the university’s independence, and neither should we, nor the millions of other students across the country. President Trump must understand that freedom of expression defines America as a country, and that no amount of threats could breach it. When we come together as one nation, one community and one student body, no government can hinder our freedoms as American citizens.
