U.S. Education Secretary Comes Under Fire for Targeting Harvard Funding
(MENAFN) U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon came under fire Tuesday for the administration’s actions targeting Harvard University’s funding, during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
McMahon outlined the Department of Education’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which, she stated, aims to reduce the federal deficit while shifting greater control over education policy to individual states.
"We seek to shrink federal bureaucracy, save taxpayer money and empower states, who best know their local needs to manage their education in this country," McMahon told lawmakers.
The administration is proposing a $12 billion cut to the department—representing a 15% reduction—part of President Donald Trump’s broader goal of dismantling the agency.
The hearing unfolded amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and U.S. universities, as federal officials move to freeze funding for institutions like Harvard. The move comes in response to campus protests supporting Palestine and programs centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
So far, the administration has revoked $3 billion in funding and warned Harvard it could lose its tax-exempt status.
McMahon defended the administration’s stance, saying measures taken against Columbia University and Harvard show that it "will not tolerate antisemitism on campuses or discrimination of any kind."
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy pushed back on those directives, specifically questioning the apparent contradiction in the administration’s demands.
“In the letter that you sent to Harvard demanding that they make certain changes, you told them that they had to end all of their diversity programs but that they have to institute viewpoint diversity. That doesn’t seem to make sense.
“How do you tell them to end all the diversity programs. And we assume that this is a mandate that you will make of other schools as well. How do you ask them to end diversity programs while instituting viewpoint diversity? Those seem to be totally contradictory,” Murphy asked.
“No, the diversity programs that we’ve asked and demanded to be eliminated were the DEI, where those programs actually were pitting one group against another,” McMahon responded.
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