Washington, April 15, 2025 – Former US President Barack Obama blasted the Trump administration’s move to freeze $2.3 billion in federal funding for Harvard University, calling it a “ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom” in a Tuesday statement. The decision, announced Monday by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, targets grants for research and student aid, citing Harvard’s “leftist bias” in campus policies (Times of India).
Obama, a Harvard Law alum (’91), argued the cut—effective April 14—punishes students and innovation, not ideology. “This is politics bullying scholarship—Harvard’s $5 billion endowment doesn’t erase its public good,” he wrote, per The Indian Express. The freeze, under Title IV, hits 60% of Harvard’s $3.9 billion federal flow (US DoE, 2024). Trump’s team claims Harvard’s diversity programs “discriminate” against conservatives—$1 billion in STEM grants is at stake (Reuters).
The backlash is fierce—Harvard’s president vowed legal action, while MIT and Yale rallied support (The Hindu). X splits hard—“Trump’s draining the swamp!” vs. “He’s gutting education!” (post:2). DeVos, back from Trump’s first term, pointed to a 2024 lawsuit alleging Harvard’s admissions hurt Asian applicants (The Economic Times). Obama countered, “Fix bias with dialogue, not defunding” (NDTV). Harvard’s 18,000 students face aid cuts—30% rely on grants (Harvard Crimson).
For India, it’s a ripple—3,000 Indian students at US Ivies, 600 at Harvard, eye tighter budgets (MEA, 2024). “Research labs will bleed,” a Delhi academic told Business Standard. With Trump’s tariffs roiling markets, will this spark a brain drain back home?
