Trump Administration Terminates Federal Contracts with Harvard Amid Dispute Over Pro-Palestine Activism and Diversity Policies
The Trump Administration intends to terminate remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, exacerbating a dispute centered on concerns such as pro-Palestine student activism and racial diversity issues.
On Tuesday, the New York Times and Reuters news agency reported that a draft letter from the General Services Administration (GSA) directs federal agencies to reconsider and potentially cancel existing contracts with Harvard, valued at around $100 million.
According to a copy of the draft letter obtained by the Times, Harvard University has allegedly continued to engage in "race discrimination, including in its admissions process," and has failed to halt suspected anti-Semitic acts, suggesting a "disturbing lack of concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students."
This move would mark another initiative by the government to utilize federal funds to prompt universities to embrace modifications sought by the Trump Administration, including stricter control over curricula, harsher measures against pro-Palestine students, and an end to policies encouraging racial diversity and greater opportunities for racial minorities.
The Trump Administration has portrayed efforts to foster greater racial diversity at US universities as a form of discrimination that prioritizes racial identity over merit. Supporters argue that such initiatives, such as considering race as one factor among many in admissions decisions, are essential to remedy long-standing histories of racial discrimination and exclusion in US higher education.
"The General Services Administration (GSA) is aware that Harvard continues to engage in race discrimination, including in its admissions process and other areas of student life," the letter reads.
The administration has taken a firm stance on pro-Palestine activism on university campuses, which escalated following the initiation of Israel's most recent conflict in Gaza in October 2023.
Critics argue that these steps represent part of a broader assault on US universities, which Trump has depicted as breeding grounds for political dissent and radical ideas contrary to the aims of his administration.
Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reporting from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Harvard is located, stated, "The Trump administration has targeted Harvard because of the pro-Palestinian protests, and it has presented a list of demands that goes far beyond that. It wants detailed information on foreign students that Harvard is refusing to provide. It wants essentially a political audit to see where people's ideologies are. So Harvard University has sued in court to stop many of these moves, and this will undoubtedly be the next one that goes before a judge."
In March, the GSA and the Departments of Education (DOE) and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an official review of $255.6 million in Harvard contracts and $8.7 billion in multi-year grants, justifying it as part of an effort to combat alleged anti-Semitism on college campuses.
The administration also cut $400 million in grants to Columbia University in New York City in March, despite the university's concessions to government demands.
The administration contends that campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza and the US's provision of billions of dollars in weapons to Israel are driven by anti-Semitism and create an unsafe environment for Jewish students on campus.
Several international students have been arrested and detained by the administration for their involvement in pro-Palestine activism, including a Turkish international student named Rumeysa Ozturk at Tufts University, who was apprehended on the street by federal agents for co-signing an op-ed advocating for an end to the war.
Trump has consistently threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and moved last week to block the university's ability to accept international students, who currently account for about 27 percent of the university's total enrollment. A judge blocked this effort, which Harvard argued was retaliation for "our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government's illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body."
- The Trump Administration's draft letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) aims to terminate remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, worth around $100 million, due to allegations of race discrimination and a lack of action against suspected anti-Semitic acts.
- The Administration's move is part of an initiative to influence university policies, seeking stricter control over curricula, harsher measures against pro-Palestine students, and an end to policies encouraging racial diversity and greater opportunities for racial minorities.
- The Administration's actions have been criticized as an assault on US universities, with some viewing them as an attempt to suppress political dissent and radical ideas.
- In response, Harvard University has sued the Administration, arguing that the moves represent a breach of its academic independence and a violation of its right to control its curriculum, faculty, and student body.
- The Administration has also targeted international students involved in pro-Palestine activism, with several arrests and detentions, such as the case of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish international student at Tufts University.
