BUZZ
HHS’s actions could lead to the Ivy League school losing billions of dollars in federal funding
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took additional steps Monday to strip Harvard University of federal funding based on allegations that it discriminated against Jewish students.
The HHS Office of Civil Rights referred the Ivy League institution for suspension and debarment proceedings, a rare move that potentially could exclude Harvard from government-wide funding for years. An HHS news release described the referral as action “to protect the public interest.”
The basis for the recommendation is a June finding alleging Harvard violated Title VI by “acting with deliberate indifference toward discrimination and harassment against Jewish and Israeli students.”
Paula Stannard, director of the HHS civil rights office, said U.S. Congress allows federal agencies to strip funding from institutions that refuse to comply with the law.
“OCR has notified Harvard of its right to a formal administrative hearing, where an HHS administrative law judge will make an impartial determination on whether Harvard violated Title VI by acting with deliberate indifference towards antisemitic student-on-student harassment,” Stannard stated in the release.
The matter will be reviewed by the HHS Suspension and Debarment Program. According to the department, suspension is a temporary measure put in place while a judge considers whether an entity should be debarred.
“Debarment lasts for a specified period as a final determination that an entity is not responsible enough to do business with the Federal government because of the wrongdoing. Both suspension and debarment have a government-wide effect,” the department stated.
According to The Harvard Crimson, the institution stands to lose billions of dollars in federal funding, including scientific research grants. Harvard received more than $794 million from HHS alone over the last two years.
The disciplinary measures also “would sidestep the recent court order forcing the reinstatement of grants that were first frozen or terminated in May,” the student newspaper reports.
Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated Harvard’s First Amendment rights by freezing research funding. The judge decided the government’s actions were aimed at promoting a “governmental orthodoxy” rather than genuinely combating antisemitism, The College Fix reported.
After the ruling, Harvard President Alan Garber told the Epoch Times that it “affirms Harvard’s First Amendment and procedural rights, and validates our arguments in defense of the university’s academic freedom, critical scientific research, and the core principles of American higher education.”
The federal government cut off Harvard’s funding earlier this year after university leaders refused to comply with directives regarding its handling of antisemitism and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In May, the Trump administration also revoked the university’s international student enrollment certification. The university is suing over both decisions.
