Harvard Will Receive No New Federal Grants Until It Meets a Series of Demands

By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press

The Harvard and Trump administration saga continues.

Harvard University will not receive any new federal grants until it meets a series of demands from President Donald Trump’s administration, the Education Department announced Monday.

The action was laid out in a letter to Harvard president Charles useful and amounts to a major escalation of Trump’s battle with the Ivy League school. The administration previously froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard, and Trump is pushing to strip the school of its tax-exempt status.

A senior Education Department official said on a press call that Harvard will not receive any new federal grants until it “demonstrates responsible management of the university” and satisfies federal demands on a range of subjects. This applies to federal research grants, not federal financial aid students receive to help cover tuition and fees.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the decision with reporters, added that Harvard has been notified of the decision and that the department stands ready to work with the university to quickly resolve the outstanding issues.

The official accused Harvard of “serious failures” in four areas: antisemitism, racial discrimination, abandonment of rigor and viewpoint diversity. To become eligible for new grants, Harvard would need to enter negotiations with the federal government and prove it has satisfied the administration’s demands.

Harvard’s president has previously said he will not bend to government’s demands. The university sued to halt its funding freeze last month.

Earlier this year, the administration announced it was freezing federal grants to Harvard in an effort to force the university to cooperate with a new agency initiative.

The new agency initiative, which was announced last year, is focused on increasing diversity and inclusion on college campuses. The administration has also been critical of what it perceives as a lack of viewpoint diversity at Harvard and other elite universities.

In April, Trump said he is planning to cancel the tax-exempt status of universities that don’t respect the First Amendment. The president made the remarks at an event with evangelical leaders at the White House.

“We’re going to be canceling the tax-exempt status of universities that aren’t treating people fairly on their campuses, where they have no right to speak and they aren’t thinking about the First Amendment,” Trump said. “And they’ll be getting sued like they’ve never been sued before.”

The president’s comments came after he was critical of several universities for what he called a lack of respect for the First Amendment. Trump has also repeatedly complained about “fake news” in the mainstream media.

Earlier this month, House Democrats approved a measure to block the Trump administration from diverting federal funds to support its new agency initiative. The vote was 232-184, with all Democrats and eight Republicans voting in favor of the measure and all Republicans except one voting against it.

The measure still faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where it would need at least 12 Republican votes to advance over the objections of the Trump administration.

The action comes as Trump is planning to visit several swing states, in part to tout the strong economy. But the president has also repeatedly attacked the news media and the Democratic Party.

In recent days, Trump has become increasingly incensed by reports that administration officials are preparing to testify about the president’s conduct in an impeachment inquiry. House Democrats launched the inquiry last month as part of their effort to build a case for impeaching Trump.

The president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has accused the Democrats of a “witch hunt.” He has also attacked several House Democrats on Twitter, and he has urged his supporters to "fight back" against what he calls the "radical left."

The president's personal attacks on political opponents have become increasingly common in recent months. He has also become more open in discussing his own legal troubles.

Earlier this year, Trump sued New York Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and the House of Representatives to block a congressional subpoena for his tax returns. A lower court ruled against Trump, and the administration is appealing the decision.

In May, Trump sued Baltimore Democratic Mayor Bernard Scott and the city in an attempt to stop them from diverting state funds to help Black and Latino residents of the city. A federal judge on Monday dismissed the lawsuit.

The president's efforts to retaliate against his critics have drawn criticism from legal scholars, who say that they are an abuse of power. They also note that the president's actions could backfire, as they are likely to spur further scrutiny of the administration.

"The president is engaging in an unprecedented level of retaliation against his critics," said Charles Goodson, a law professor at the University of Baltimore. "This is a clear abuse of power, and it’s an attempt to silence those who disagree with him."

Goodson added that Trump's actions are also unwise, as they are likely to backfire and spur further scrutiny of the administration.

"The president’s actions are not surprising, given his prior statements and behavior," said Ben Schank