The Trump administration is asking federal agencies to cancel their remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, worth an estimated $100 million, according to a government official.
The battle between the Trump administration and Harvard University has been going on for several weeks.
In mid-May, a federal antisemitism task force wrote a letter telling Harvard it would lose an additional $450 million in grants from eight federal agencies, in addition to the $2.2 billion that was already frozen.
The university claims the administration’s moves are unlawful and that the cuts threaten academic freedom and First Amendment rights.
Trump has also threatened the school’s tax-exempt status and last week, the administration revoked Harvard’s ability to admit international students.
According to a government official, the Trump administration is requesting that federal agencies revoke their remaining federal contracts amounting to approximately $100 million with Harvard University.
The U.S. S. . In a document dated Tuesday, the General Services Administration instructs agencies to provide a list of all contracts they have canceled with the university by June 6.
Josh Gruenbaum, the commissioner of the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, signed the letter, which states, “Going forward, we also encourage your agency to seek alternative vendors for future services where you had previously considered Harvard.”.
Initially reported by the New York Times, the government official verified the letter’s authenticity but declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak.
NPR has not received a response from Harvard yet.
For several weeks, Harvard University and the Trump administration have been engaged in a battle. When Harvard stated that it would not abide by the administration’s demands that it significantly alter its hiring, admissions, and other policies, the administration in April froze more than $2.02 billion in contracts and multiyear grants allocated to the university.
Harvard will lose an additional $450 million in grants from eight federal agencies, on top of the $2.02 billion already frozen, according to a letter sent in mid-May by a federal antisemitism task force. The letter was sent to Linda McMahon, the U.S. president of Harvard, by Alan Garber. S. . secretary of education, rejecting claims of partisanship made by the administration. The school, he insisted, was “not an arm of any political party” and never would be.
To stop the federal funding freeze, Harvard is suing. The university argues that the cuts jeopardize First Amendment rights and academic freedom and that the administration’s actions are illegal. July has been set aside for a hearing.
Harvard’s tax-exempt status has also been threatened by Trump, and the administration last week denied admission to international students. A temporary restraining order was granted by a judge after the school filed a lawsuit the following day.
“We need to be firm in our commitments to what we stand for,” Garber said in an interview with Steve Inskeep on Monday on NPR. “And I think I speak for other universities when I say that we stand for education, the search for the truth, and assisting in the education of others for better futures. “..”.
