The Trump administration is again attempting to land a financial blow to Harvard University amid a contentious, monthslong back-and-forth over federal funding and accusations of antisemitism.
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday that it would refer the Ivy League school for debarment. If successful, Harvard would be deemed unfit to do business with the government “because of its wrongdoing,” excluding it from any federal funds, according to a press release from HHS. It puts billions of dollars at risk for grants and research at the university.
Harvard did not immediately return NBC News’ request for comment on whether it will be taking any action in response. The White House did not comment on Harvard’s potential suspension and debarment.
The news comes just weeks after a federal judge ordered the government to reverse more than $2.6 billion in funding it had slashed earlier this year. In her decision, the judge wrote that the administration had “used antisemitism as a smokescreen” to cut funding.
Now, HHS is also recommending that Harvard be suspended from accessing any federal grant funds for up to a year as the school undergoes debarment proceedings, the press release said. Debarment, while temporary, lasts for a longer period, typically for around three years.
The move follows OCR’s Notice of Violation to Harvard issued in June. The notice detailed several incidents that it had deemed harassment in addition to “institutional-level acceptance of antisemitism.” The office accused the school of failing to establish reporting and remediation mechanisms and failing to consistently discipline students and faculty, among other issues. And, at the end of July, it referred the university to the Justice Department to enforce the violation.
Harvard now has 20 days to decide whether it will undergo a formal administrative hearing, during which an HHS administrative law judge will decide whether the school did enough to combat antisemitic harassment on campus.
As part of its clash with Harvard, the government in March froze $2.2 billion in grants after the school rejected its list of demands aimed at addressing alleged antisemitism on campus. The demands, which drew backlash from higher education circles and beyond, included restricting the acceptance of international students who are “hostile to the American values and institutions,” to the addition of a third party that would audit programs that the Trump administration says help contribute to antisemitic harassment. The freeze prompted Harvard to open a legal battle against the administration.
Trump had proposed that the school pay $500 million to remedy the funding dispute. And for months, the administration and Harvard appeared to be in talks, inching closer to a potential settlement. However, few details have been revealed since, particularly after the latest ruling in federal court.
By mid-September, Harvard started receiving notices that many federal grants that were held up by the Trump administration will be reinstated.
