Shortly after being stripped of federal taxpayer funding by the Trump administration, Harvard just handed itself another headache. This time, from the House Oversight Committee.
Less than 24 hours after the IRS moved to strip Harvard of its tax exempt status for a series of civil rights violations and refusal to carry out disciplinary actions for those engaged in pro-terrorism activity on campus, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik announced an investigation into the elite institution.
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is conducting oversight of Harvard University’s lack of compliance with civil rights laws despite receiving more than half a billion dollars in federal funds annually. Harvard’s potentially improper use of federal funds requires this oversight. The Committee requests documents and communications to inform its oversight of this matter, and to determine whether legislation is necessary to ensure that institutions of higher education receiving federal financial assistance are no longer able to violate the law while lucratively benefitting from the generosity of the American people,” Comer and Stefanik wrote in a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber. "As an institution receiving more than half a billion in federal financial assistance annually, Harvard—just like all institutions of higher education that receive federal financial assistance—is required to comply with basic legal obligations attached to receipt of those funds. One of the most basic requirements arises from civil rights laws passed more than 50 years ago that prohibit excluding participation in, denying the benefits of, or discriminating against any person in the United States on the basis of that person’s race, color, or national origin under those programs."
.@EliseStefanik: "These schools are not entitled to U.S. taxpayer dollars if they’re not living up to the standards and not protecting civil rights of Jewish students on campuses." pic.twitter.com/tIsNzGm4l9
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) April 16, 2025
The letter comes as Harvard works to fight the Trump administration in court in an effort to claw back billions of taxpayer funds without changing illegal discriminatory policies or administrative behaviors at the institution.
"It should come as no surprise that Harvard would continue to advocate for illegal discrimination and violate its obligations under the law, as it has a long, consistent history of defending racial discrimination and antisemitic activities on campus. Harvard once placed quotas on the number of Jewish students it would admit. And its predilection toward racial discrimination didn’t end with the civil rights era. Indeed, Harvard recently—merely two years ago—fought all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States to defend the institution’s desire to discriminate on the basis of race in admissions programs, which were found to have violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," they continued.
The Committee is also demanding documents, including communications about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and how administrations handled organized, harassment of Jewish students on campus.
6/ @GOPoversight has launched a full investigation. We’ve demanded records on:
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) April 17, 2025
• DEI hiring
• Admissions discrimination
• Foreign influence
• Disciplinary failures
• Whistleblower retaliation
No more hiding behind prestige.
Harvard has until May 1 to comply with Oversight requests. In the meantime, congressional subpoenas are getting warmed up.
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