Harvard President Alan Garber addresses the crowd during the university’s 373rd commencement ceremony. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The familiar refrain has been at the center of a months-long legal fight between Trump officials and Harvard lawyers, who sparred over efforts to comply with recommendations from a federal task force earlier this year.
Trump officials have argued the school has not done enough to comply with the task force recommendations; Harvard has countered that the effort amounts to an unconstitutional "pressure campaign" from the administration to influence and exert control over its academic programs.
It’s unclear how long the debarment process will take, and these efforts are often preceded by a shorter-term period of suspension, according to data from HHS’s Office for Civil Rights.
Still, if successful, the effort could threaten billions of dollars in funding for Harvard at an already vulnerable time for the university.
The debarment process, if successful, could eventually "blacklist" Harvard from doing business with the government in any capacity — including blocking its ability to accept billions in federal research funds and to sign new contracts with federal agencies.
CONTINUED COURT FIGHTS COULD PUT HARVARD IN UNWINNABLE POSITION VS TRUMP
Hundreds of graduates walk out of Harvard’s 2024 commencement in Harvard Yard to call attention to the plight of Palestinians on May 23, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Harvard lawyers sued the Trump administration in April over its attempts to freeze billions in federal funding and block other grant money — which they argued in court amounts to an unconstitutional "pressure campaign" designed to influence and exert control over its academic programs.
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The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is likely to appeal the ruling, though the time frame for the appeal and the next steps for challenging the summary judgment remain unclear.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-renews-effort-exclude-harvard-from-billions-federal-research-grants