CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The White House intends to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, representing a complete severance of the government’s longstanding business relationship with the Cambridge-based educational institution, according to a new report.
The New York Times reports that a letter being sent to federal agencies on Tuesday instructs agencies to “find alternative vendors” for future services. This latest round of cuts is estimated to be worth $100 million.
Contracts with about nine agencies would be affected, an administration official told the news outlet.
The Times reported that the letter instructs agencies to respond by June 6 with a list of contract cancellations.
In April, the federal government froze more than $2.2 billion in grants and contracts after Harvard said it wouldn’t comply with the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.
This comes after Harvard announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s decision to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students.
In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard said the government’s action violates the First Amendment and will have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”
In a statement, a White House spokesperson said, “If only Harvard cared this much about ending the scourge of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators on their campus, they wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with. Harvard should spend their time and resources on creating a safe campus environment instead of filing frivolous lawsuits.”
A federal judge has since blocked the Trump administration from cutting off Harvard’s enrollment of foreign students.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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