The Trump administration is set to order a sweeping review of all US federal contracts with Harvard University, signaling a new phase in its growing clash with one of America’s most prestigious academic institutions.
A senior White House official said Tuesday that the Government Services Agency (GSA) will soon distribute a letter to federal agencies, instructing them to identify active contracts with Harvard and assess whether they can be terminated or redirected. The move could place more than $100 million in research grants and institutional funding under scrutiny.
According to the official, the administration believes there are about 30 contracts with Harvard currently in effect. While no immediate cancellations have been announced, the directive opens the door to a possible reduction or redirection of funds to other institutions.
Harvard University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The administration’s draft letter, obtained by multiple outlets, reportedly accuses the university of “discrimination and antisemitism” as part of its rationale for the review. Though no evidence of misconduct has yet been released publicly, the White House appears poised to frame the action as part of a broader crackdown on what it perceives as institutional bias in elite education.
Notably, the administration has said that hospitals affiliated with Harvard will not be affected by potential cuts, and that critical federal grants may continue if agencies successfully argue for their necessity.
The university’s website describes federal support as essential to its groundbreaking research in fields such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases, and obesity. “Without federal funding, this work will come to a halt midstream,” it warns.
Speaking earlier Tuesday on NPR—before the funding review was revealed—Harvard University President Alan Garber questioned the logic behind targeting research support. “The research funding is not a gift,” Garber said. “It is work that the federal government designates as high-priority. They are paying to have that work conducted.”
The latest move comes on the heels of a series of clashes between the Trump administration and Harvard. In April, the White House froze $2.2 billion in funding, prompting a lawsuit from the university. Just last week, the administration revoked Harvard’s authority to enroll international students and host foreign researchers—leading to confusion and legal action from the university, which argued that the measure violated constitutional and federal protections.
Though federal contract reviews are not uncommon, experts say the scale and political tone of the Harvard directive signal an unprecedented level of federal scrutiny. Some critics have called the move a politically motivated attack on academic independence, while supporters of the administration say elite institutions should be held accountable for alleged bias and misuse of public resources.
As the legal and political battle intensifies, the fate of Harvard’s federal research pipeline—and the broader implications for academic freedom—remain uncertain.
Chioma Kalu
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