The Trump administration revealed on Tuesday they are urging all federal agencies to explore ways to terminate contracts with Harvard University, valued at roughly $100 million. This move represents the latest escalation in a prolonged conflict between the administration and Harvard, the country’s oldest and one of its most prestigious universities. The New York Times was the first to report on the administration’s plan.
The Trump administration had announced last week that it had revoked roughly $450 million in grant funding for Harvard, which came on top of a previous freeze in April of about $3.2 billion in grants and contracts linked to the university.
The letter Tuesday from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) alleges that Harvard “continues to engage in race discrimination, including in its admissions process and in other areas of student life.” The GSA is instructing agencies to provide them with a list of any Harvard contracts they’ve terminated by June 6. The letter states that “in light of this deeply troubling pattern, each agency should consider its contracts with Harvard University and determine whether Harvard and its services efficiently promote the priorities of the agency. Going forward, we also encourage your agency to seek alternative vendors for future services where you had previously considered Harvard.”
John Gruenbaum, head of the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, accused Harvard of ongoing racial discrimination, particularly in its admissions process and other aspects of student life. These claims relate to the administration’s concerns over the university’s use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and its alleged failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic incidents. Gruenbaum also alleged that troubling information had surfaced about discriminatory hiring practices at Harvard and its affiliated organizations, suggesting these practices could constitute violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and pointing to possible systemic issues in hiring, promotions, pay, and other employment-related actions. Gruenbaum also cited issues within the Harvard Law Review, which it claimed had engaged in discriminatory behavior. Additionally, he criticized the university for what it described as a serious neglect of the safety and well-being of its Jewish student population.
Tensions between Harvard and the federal government intensified after the university resisted sweeping demands from the Trump administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, who had sought oversight of Harvard’s admissions and hiring decisions and proposed a federal audit of its faculty. In response to Harvard’s refusal, the administration revoked $2 billion in federal research grants.
Additionally, the Trump administration attempted to block Harvard from admitting international students, a move that was temporarily blocked by a federal judge after the university filed a lawsuit. A hearing to determine whether that injunction will remain in place is scheduled for Thursday.
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