Education Secretary Linda McMahon informed Harvard on Monday that the university will receive no new federal grants until it meets the Trump administration's demands. The administration already froze $2.2 billion in federal research grants, and President Trump said he wants to pull the school's tax-exempt status. "Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided," McMahon wrote to university President Alan Garber, USA Today reports. "Harvard will cease to be a publicly funded institution, and can instead operate as a privately-funded institution, drawing on its colossal endowment, and raising money from its large base of wealthy alumni."
Harvard has not given in to the demands to change its hiring, teaching, and admissions policies, and it's raising money for a fight, which includes a lawsuit. An Education Department official said in a press call that Harvard will receive no new grants until it "demonstrates responsible management of the university" and meets administration demands. To restart the grants, Harvard would have to enter negotiations with the government and demonstrate it has satisfied the administration's demands. The edict applies to federal research grants and not the federal financial aid that students receive to help with tuition and fees, per the AP.
A possible shift: McMahon's letter may indicate a change in administration's strategy. Until now, it has pulled existing grants from universities, which left legal challenges in play, per the New York Times. University officials have expressed concern that the administration might take a more deliberate, sweeping approach—with a blanket grant ban—that could be tougher to defeat in a court battle. (More Harvard University stories.)
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