The Trump administration is preparing to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, worth an estimated $100 million, according to a draft letter dated May 27 and obtained by The New York Times.
The letter, issued by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), directs federal agencies to review their contracts with Harvard and end those that are not considered essential.
Agencies are also being asked to find new vendors for any future services they had planned to receive from Harvard. One administration official described the directive as a“complete end to the federal government’s business relationship with Harvard.”
Recall that in April and May, the administration froze approximately $3.2 billion in grants and contracts with the university and temporarily blocked its ability to admit international students.
The letter cites several reasons for the decision. The administration claims Harvard has:
-
Ignored the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling prohibiting the use of race in college admissions.
-
Failed to address incidents of antisemitism on campus.
-
Shown a pattern of political bias and resistance to government oversight.
One example mentioned in the letter is The Harvard Law Review’s decision to award a fellowship to a student accused of assaulting a Jewish student during a 2023 protest. The student was acquitted but completed community service as part of an agreement with local authorities.
The administration also criticized the university for introducing a remedial math course, which it claims is evidence of admissions practices based on characteristics other than merit.
A student interviewed by The News Chronicle, who asked to remain unnamed for safety concerns, expressed outrage at the administration’s actions.
“It’s sad to see that the whole United States of America, which we know at one time was regarded as a semblance of democracy, has degraded to this level,” the student said.
He added,
“The level of decadence is quite frankly disturbing—the absolute lack of rule of law displayed by the president and his administration… It’s sad that when citizens or foreigners don’t subscribe to their point of view, they look for ways to silence them.”
The student concluded with a powerful call to action, urging fellow international students to reconsider their long-term aspirations in the U.S.:
“It would be great for us to come back home and develop our own indigenous land so fewer students have to leave the same country in search of better education.”
So far, Harvard University has denied the accusations and argues that the federal government is attempting to interfere with its operations and limit its independence.
“We reject this unlawful and unnecessary decision,” said Harvard President Dr. Alan M. Garber in a public statement released on May 20. “It puts the futures of thousands of students and researchers at risk and sends a harmful message to other institutions across the country.”
Garber said that federal research funding supports projects identified as priorities by the government itself. In an interview with NPR, he said,
“This funding is not a donation—it’s money awarded to conduct research that the government has chosen to support. Ending that work will not just harm Harvard, it will delay important progress in fields like medicine and public health.”
The school has filed two lawsuits in response to recent actions by the Trump administration:
-
One seeks to restore over $3 billion in frozen research and academic funding.
-
The other challenge is the temporary ban on admitting international students, which the university argues violates the First Amendment and other federal protections.
Last week, Judge Allison D. Burroughs granted a temporary order allowing Harvard to admit international students again. A hearing is scheduled for May 29 to decide whether that order will remain in effect.
The GSA letter instructs agencies to report by June 6 on which Harvard contracts can be canceled. An administration official told the BBC that contracts involving Harvard-affiliated hospitals will not be affected. Grants considered critical to an agency’s operations may also be allowed to continue, but only if formally justified.
At the same time, Congress is pushing forward with legislation to increase taxes on university endowments, at the administration’s urging. If passed by the Senate, the new tax could reduce Harvard’s annual income by $850 million, based on its $53 billion endowment.
