Overview

• HHS’ Office for Civil Rights referred Harvard after concluding the university violated Title VI by acting with “deliberate indifference” to antisemitic harassment since October 2023.
• If imposed, a suspension could halt new federal grants and contracts for up to a year while officials consider a government‑wide debarment.
• The move builds on a June 30 violation notice and a July referral to the Justice Department, advancing enforcement despite a recent court order restoring previously frozen grants.
• Harvard disputes the findings and says it has taken substantive steps to combat bias, while declining new comment following Monday’s announcement.
• Exclusion would jeopardize billions in research support across agencies including HHS, the Defense Department and the National Science Foundation, with potential disruptions to ongoing medical and science work.