Trump Administration’s Ongoing Clash with Harvard University
The Trump administration has intensified its clash with Harvard University, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, by asking federal agencies to cancel contracts worth about $100 million. This move comes after the government already canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school.
A letter sent by the General Services Administration, which oversees contracting and real estate for the federal government, directed agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternate arrangements. The New York Times first reported on the letter, which is the latest development in the ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard University.
President Donald Trump has called Harvard a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism, and the school has pushed back on the administration’s demands for changes to several of its policies. Since then, the administration has slashed the school’s federal funding, moved to cut off enrollment of international students, and threatened its tax-exempt status.
Background of the Dispute
The dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard University began when the school filed a lawsuit on April 21 over the administration’s calls for changes to the university’s leadership, governance, and admissions policies. The administration has demanded that Harvard turn over a trove of files related to its foreign students, including disciplinary records and records related to “dangerous or violent activity.”
Harvard says it complied with the demand, but the agency said its response fell short and moved to revoke the university’s ability to enroll foreign students. A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the move after Harvard sued.
Trump Threatens to Give Harvard’s Funding to Trade Schools
Trump laid into Harvard on social media over the weekend, threatening to cut an additional $3 billion in federal grants and give it to trade schools across the United States. He did not explain which grants he was referring to or how they could be reallocated.
The president also accused Harvard of refusing to release the names of its foreign students, arguing that students’ home countries pay nothing toward their education and that some of the countries are “not at all friendly to the United States.” International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, but Harvard offers its own aid to foreign and domestic students alike.
“We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country,” Trump said on social media.
Other Nations Respond
Japan’s government said it’s looking for ways to help Harvard’s foreign students. Education Minister Toshiko Abe told reporters she planned to ask Japanese universities to compile measures to support international students.
The University of Tokyo, Japan’s top school, is considering temporarily accepting some Harvard students affected by the Trump sanctions.
