Trump administration to cancel Harvard's remaining federal contracts
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A photo of the Harvard University campus on May 24. Photo: Zhu Ziyu/VCG via Getty Images
The Trump administration will eliminate the remaining $100 million in federal contracts with Harvard University, according to a notification letter obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Trump has singled out Harvard as part of a pressure campaign to exert control over campus policies and curriculum at elite universities.
- Federal agencies will receive a letter on Tuesday from the U.S. General Services Administration instructing them to "find alternative vendors" for future services, as first reported by the New York Times.
- The letter does not apply to remaining research grants.
State of play: Agencies were instructed to respond by June 6 with a list of contract cancellations.
- Any contracts deemed critical would be transitioned to other vendors, per the letter.
- The contracts include executive training for Department of Homeland Security officials, research on health outcomes related to energy drinks and a contract for graduate student research services, per AP.
Zoom in: The U.S. General Services Administration accused the university of engaging in racial discrimination, including in its admissions process, per the letter.
- "Harvard is suspected of engaging in a pattern or practice of disparate treatment in hiring, promotion, compensation, and other personnel related actions," the letter states.
- The agency said it's also "aware of recent events at Harvard University involving anti-Semitic action that suggest the institution has a disturbing lack of concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students."
Catch up quick: The government already canceled more than $2.2 billion in federal funds and paused all new federal grant funding.
- The university has resisted the administration's demands, while Harvard President Alan Garber said the government is unlawfully targeting the school.
- Harvard did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Zoom out: "I don't know fully what the motivations are, but I do know that there are people who are fighting a cultural battle. I don't know if that is what is driving the administration," Garber told NPR in an interview published Tuesday.
- "They don't like what's happened to campuses, and sometimes they don't like what we represent."
- "What I can tell you is Harvard is a very old institution, much older than the country. And as long as there has been a United States of America, Harvard has thought that its role is to serve the nation."
Go deeper: Ivy League squeeze: How the Trump administration has hammered Harvard
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a copy of the letter.
