Trump Yanks $100M in Federal Contracts From Harvard

The Trump administration isn't done punishing Harvard. After cutting billions of dollars in federal funding, the federal government is now set to cancel all remaining contracts with the university, worth about $100 million, per CNN and the New York Times. In a Tuesday letter, the General Services Administration will ask federal agencies "to identify any contracts with Harvard, and whether they can be canceled or redirected elsewhere," a senior administration official tells CNN. The letter instructs agencies to respond by June 6 with a list of contract cancellations and to "seek alternative vendors for future services where you had previously considered Harvard," per the Times.

This will affect contracts with nine agencies, including "a $49,858 National Institutes of Health contract to investigate the effects of coffee drinking and a $25,800 Homeland Security Department contract for senior executive training," per the Times. One administration official refers to the move as "a complete severance" of the government's business relationship with the nation's oldest and wealthiest school, per the outlet. President Trump has accused Harvard of failing to act on antisemitism and racial discrimination against white people. Harvard say the administration has violated its First Amendment rights in demanding changes to its hiring, teaching, and admissions policies.

Trump's measures, including an effort to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students, are "perplexing" to Harvard President Alan Garber, who sees no apparent link between the actions and fighting antisemitism. "Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the country because after all, the research funding is not a gift," he tells NPR. The money goes to efforts the federal government deems "high-priority work," he says, pointing out that Harvard scientists were just awarded the Breakthrough Prize for research on obesity and diabetes drugs and gene editing. (Trump has suggested redirecting billions of dollars in research grants to trade schools.)