Trump administration to cut $100M in federal contracts with Harvard

06/03/2025 / By Laura Harris

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has directed agencies to review and potentially terminate approximately $100 million in active contracts with Harvard University due to allegations of racial discrimination, ethical violations and failure to comply with federal nondiscrimination laws.
The GSA memo cites stark racial disparities in Harvard’s admission rates (e.g., 56 percent for Black applicants vs. 13 percent for Asian applicants) and accuses the university of “outright racial balancing” post-Supreme Court rulings.
Harvard is also accused of fostering a hostile environment for Jewish students, including tolerating harassment and honoring protesters charged with assaulting Jewish individuals.
Agencies must submit plans by June 6 to cancel non-compliant contracts (e.g., NIH/DHS grants) and transition to alternative vendors under Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).
This is part of a broader conflict between Harvard and the Trump administration, which has previously targeted the university’s funding, tax-exempt status and international student programs, causing significant financial and operational disruptions.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has directed federal agencies to review and potentially terminate approximately $100 million in active contracts with Harvard University over allegations of constitutional violations and failure to uphold “national interest.”

According to a May 27 memo sent to agency procurement executives, Harvard has been engaging in a “deeply troubling pattern” of racial discrimination, ethical violations and failure to uphold federal nondiscrimination laws, despite the landmark rebuke of the Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.

The letter, signed by Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, highlights stark disparities in admission rates among top-tier applicants, with African American students admitted at 56 percent, Hispanic students at 31 percent, white students at 15 percent and Asian students at just 13 percent.

GSA also accused Harvard of fostering a hostile environment for Jewish students and tolerating antisemitic actions. It cites Harvard’s failure to address repeated harassment of Jewish students, including incidents that disrupted campus operations. One particularly controversial case involves the Harvard Law Review awarding a $65,000 fellowship to a protester charged with assaulting a Jewish student.

In turn, GSA urged federal agencies to terminate existing contracts with Harvard and its affiliates under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which mandates that contractors uphold ethical and legal standards. Agencies must submit lists of cancellations by June 6 and seek alternative vendors for future services.

The contracts flagged for termination include the $49,858 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research on coffee consumption and the $25,800 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for senior executive training programs.

Trump’s White House and Harvard embroiled in high-stakes conflicts

The White House and the university are embroiled in a high-stakes political, legal and financial conflict – one that has intensified significantly since President Donald Trump took office in January.

For instance, last week, the White House moved to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students or host foreign researchers, sparking chaos among thousands of students and prompting the university to file another lawsuit. A federal judge swiftly issued a temporary restraining order blocking the measure, but the administration’s broader campaign against Harvard shows no signs of relenting. (Related: Harvard University refuses to comply with Trump admin’s demands to combat campus antisemitism.)

Meanwhile, in April, the White House froze $2.2 billion in federal funding and threatened the university’s tax?exempt status, leading to a legal challenge. Weeks later, an additional $450 million in grants were slashed.

One of the hardest-hit departments is Harvard Medical School’s Sinclair Lab, which focuses on aging and diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer and immune disorders. The lab lost an NIH grant and researcher Kelly Rich’s career grant for age-reversal studies was abruptly terminated.

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Watch this video clip of Harvard suing the Trump administration over a funding freeze.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.