The Trump administration is poised to cut all remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, said to be worth an estimated $100m, according to a report by The New York Times on Tuesday.
A letter from the head of procurement for government services, a draft of which was obtained by the paper, recommends that government agencies “terminate” contracts and “transition to a new vendor”. It also suggests that each agency “seek alternative vendors for future services”.
The letter, which is supposed to be sent to federal agencies on Tuesday, asks them to respond by 6 June with a list of contract cancellations.
Contracts that could be impacted include a $49,858 contract with the National Institutes of Health to investigate the impact of drinking coffee and a $25,800 contract for senior executive training at the Department of Homeland Security.
The newspaper believes some of the Harvard contracts under review may already have been subject to a “stop work” order.
The letter, signed by federal acquisition services commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, says the government has a duty to ensure that it procures from vendors who “champion principles of nondiscrimination and the national interest”.
Gruenblaum accuses Harvard of engaging in “race discrimination, including in its admissions process and in other areas of student life”.
Gruenblaum then cited the 2023 Supreme Court decision that banned the use of race as a deciding factor in admissions and claimed that Harvard was in violation.
Credit: MIDDLEEASTEYE