April 14 (UPI) — The Trump administration is freezing $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University after the school rejected its demands to make policy changes and “uphold federal civil rights laws.”

“We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement,” Harvard President Alan Garber announced Monday in a statement. “The university will not surrender its independence or its constitutional rights.”

The Department of Education followed Harvard’s rejection with an announcement that the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism would “freeze $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value to Harvard University.”

“Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges — that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws,” the Education Department said in a statement.

Last week, the administration sent the Ivy League school a letter, warning that its “investment is not an entitlement” and urging the university to “uphold federal civil rights laws.”

“The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable,” the administration said. “The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”

Among the administration’s requests were leadership reforms to reduce the power of administrators and faculty, who are “more committed to activism than scholarship,” in addition to merit-based hiring reform.

“By August 2025, the university must adopt and implement merit-based hiring policies and cease all preferences based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.”

The administration also demanded merit-based admissions reform; viewpoint diversity; the discontinuation of diversity, equity and inclusion programs; whistleblower protections; and the elimination of anti-Semitism or other bias in Harvard’s programs.

“We expect your immediate cooperation in implementing these critical reforms that will enable Harvard to return to its original mission of innovative research and academic excellence,” the letter states.

Garber called the administration’s demands “unprecedented” and a means to “control the Harvard community.” Through the school’s legal counsel, Harvard informed the administration Monday that they “will not accept their proposed agreement.”

“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber added, as he defended Harvard’s efforts to address anti-Semitism on campus.

“Over the past 15 months, we have taken many steps to address anti-Semitism on our campus. We plan to do much more.”

Last month, Columbia University agreed to a list of nine demands from the Trump administration to include a ban on students wearing masks at protests. Columbia lost $400 million in grants after the Education Department accused the university of “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”

The administration also suspended dozens of research grants earlier this month to Princeton University, over allegations of “anti-Semitic harassment.”