Today I read a piece of written by Victor Davis Hanson (BTW – one of my favorites):
VDH correctly reported that Harvard University has rejected various demands of a presidential commission on antisemitism
The task force wants to persuade Harvard to ensure Jewish students on its campus are no longer harassed, or else lose its federal funding.
Harvard retorted that it won’t be bullied by Washington.
Harvard claimed that the Trump administration infringed upon its First Amendment rights. So, it has temporarily rejected the administration’s orders. At least for now, Harvard has lost its annual $2.2 billion grant of federal funds.
Remember, Harvard is a private university with a largely untaxed endowment of over $50.2 billion. Yet again, it still receives some $2.2 billion — now suspended– in federal funds.
I basically have two questions that apply to Harvard and other like universities.
First: Why is Harvard getting any federal funding at all? If there is a pot of federal money allocated to colleges and universities, why should schools like Harvard even get any? Furthermore, DOGE should look into cutting off this largesse en bloc, and restart by evaluating all the colleges feeding at the federal money trough.
In addition, Harvard has an endowment of $50.2 billion which is untaxed! Why is Harvard’s endowment untaxed? Why are any college endowments untaxed? DOGE should also look into this!
4/19/25