 "People walk between buildings on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge. File image/AP")
The Trump administration has asked federal agencies to cancel contracts worth approximately $100 million with Harvard University, according to a senior administration official.
The government has previously cancelled more than $2.6 billion in federal research contracts with the Ivy League institution, which has resisted the administration’s demands for changes to key programmes.
A draft letter from the General Services Administration instructs agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternative contractors. The government intends to deliver a version of the letter on Tuesday, according to the official. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The New York Times first reported on the letter.
President Donald Trump has railed against Harvard in an intensifying clash with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism.
Harvard filed a lawsuit April 21 over the administration’s calls for changes to the university’s leadership, governance and admissions 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.
The administration has identified about 30 contracts across nine agencies to be reviewed for cancellation, according to another administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly and provided these details on the condition of anonymity. The contracts total roughly $100 million, including executive training for Department of Homeland Security officials.
Agencies with contracts that are deemed critical are being directed not to halt them immediately, but to devise a plan to transition to a different vendor other than Harvard.
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View AllThe letter applies only to federal contracts with Harvard and not its remaining research grants.