By Gram Slattery and Jarrett Renshaw

WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of

Education informed Harvard University on Monday that it was

freezing billions of dollars in research grants and other aid

until the elite university concedes to a number of demands from

the Trump administration, a senior department official said.

The move represents the latest salvo from a Trump

administration willing to use the power of the federal purse to

force institutions - from law firms to universities - to make

sweeping policy changes or else lose billions of dollars in

federal grants and contracts.

It has targeted Harvard over allegations of antisemitism on

campus during pro-Palestinian protests. The protests were

sparked by U.S. ally Israel's military assault on Gaza after the

October 2023 attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas militants.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has escalated its

actions against Harvard.

It began a formal review into nearly $9 billion in federal

funding for Harvard, demanded the university ban diversity,

equity and inclusion practices, and crack down on some

pro-Palestinian groups and masks in protests.

Harvard rejected numerous Trump demands last month, calling

them an attack on free speech and academic freedom. It sued the

Trump administration after it suspended about $2.3 billion in

federal funding for the educational institution, while also

pledging to tackle discrimination on campus.

Monday's action by the Education Department now escalates

the fight.

"The Trump administration won't stand by as taxpayer dollars

are used to support colleges that have tolerated antisemitism or

that support racist policies," a senior Education Department

official said.