‘Donald Trump administration may restore funding to Harvard University if...,’ says Education Secretary McMahon

Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that Harvard and other universities might have their federal funding, previously reduced by the Trump administration, reinstated if they revise their current policies, Bloomberg reported.

“It would be my goal that if colleges and universities are abiding by the laws of the United States and doing what we expect of them, that they can expect taxpayer-funded programs,” the secretary said at a Bloomberg News event on Tuesday.

Also Read: Harvard Gets Other Universities’ Backing in Trump Funding Fight

McMahon said the administration was “making progress in some of the discussions” with Harvard, despite ongoing legal fights, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The secretary said federal funds have a role to play in academic research.

“I think if we look at our research as for the public good, which I think is intended, then taxpayers are willing to see their tax dollars to support that kind of really good research. And so I’m sure that would continue at the university level,” she said.

Also Read: Harvard vs Trump: Foreign students ban sparks backlash, legal battle

US President Donald Trump has halted over $2.6 billion in federal research funding to Harvard University—the nation's oldest and wealthiest institution—and is seeking to terminate its federal contracts. The administration frames these measures as part of a broader initiative to eliminate antisemitism on college campuses.

Harvard has taken its fight to court with two lawsuits against the administration, challenging both the loss of federal funding and a decision by the Department of Homeland Security to revoke its license to admit international students.

The administration requested that the university provide records detailing misconduct by international students on campus, but claims the institution has not provided sufficient information. Meanwhile, a judge has temporarily halted the government’s attempt to ban the university’s foreign students and researchers from entering the US, with another hearing scheduled for June 16.

The secretary said consent decrees have been floated as a tool to resolve the administration’s concerns with universities, referencing a binding legal agreement that could put schools under observation by a court-ordered monitor.

Also Read: ‘Harvard is a disaster,’ says Donald Trump, demands 15% cap on admissions of foreign students

Trump has routinely singled out Harvard since taking office, taking aim at its perceived left-leaning biases and its hiring and admissions practices. He has mused that its federal funding should be funneled to trade schools and calling for its tax-exempt status to be taken away.

Trump recently said that Massachusetts-based schools were “starting to behave.”

A group of 18 colleges backed Harvard’s case against the government over federal research dollars, arguing that the terminations “inflict grievous harm” on universities. Harvard has rejected demands from the administration to implement “viewpoint diversity” on campus in its hiring and admissions practices. Conservatives have long argued that elite campuses don’t foster environments where their perspectives are represented or welcome.

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Columbia University, which has lost approximately $400 million in federal funding, notably refrained from joining the “friend of the court” brief. Additionally, its accreditation has come under threat after the administration informed the university’s accreditor that Columbia was found to be in violation of Title IX regulations.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)