US education secretary faces criticism over Harvard funding

WASHINGTON

US Education Secretary Linda McMahon faced criticism Tuesday over Harvard University's funding.

McMahon appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she said her department’s fiscal 2026 budget request aims to shrink the deficit and increase states' power over educational choices.

"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 the senators.

The administration's budget proposal seeks a $12 billion reduction in funding, amounting to a 15% cut to the agency that President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate.

The hearing came as tensions have risen after the Trump administration threatened to freeze federal funding for many universities, including Harvard, citing campus protests in support of Palestine and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

The administration has pulled $3 billion in funding and threatened to take away Harvard's tax-exempt status.

McMahon said actions taken on Columbia University and also Harvard illustrate that the administration "will not tolerate antisemitism on campuses or discrimination of any kind."

“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,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy asked McMahon.

“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 replied.

“Isn’t viewpoint diversity a diversity program?” said Murphy.

“Viewpoint diversity is an exchange of ideas that’s actually better, absolutely. Now here, because Harvard only has 3% by its own numbers, 3% conservative faculty. Do you think they are allowing enough of viewpoint diversity through that teaching?” McMahon said.

“Where in the statute does it give you the ability to cut off federal funding for a university based upon your decision, your determination that they don’t have viewpoint diversity? Can you cite to a statute, an authority that Congress has given you to micromanage the viewpoint diversity of a college?” Murphy said.

McMahon said the statute is Title VI.

"These were civil rights violations. That is why we filed a case and defunded or stopped the funding for Harvard as well as we did Columbia. And in that conversation with them, we talked about different things that they should do coming back to the table to make their programming better," she added.

Murphy cut in again, saying: "I don’t understand any conception of civil rights law to give you the authorization to micromanage viewpoint diversity on campus."