Trump Threatens To Divert $3 Billion in Harvard Grants to Trade Schools

The president says it would be a ‘great investment’ for the country.

AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
President Trump said Monday he is that he is 'considering' diverting $3 billion in frozen grant money to trade schools. AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

President Trump’s latest threat against Harvard is that he is “considering” diverting $3 billion in frozen grant money to trade schools. Shifting the money would serve a dual purpose — delivering another blow to the Ivy League school and advancing his announced overhaul of federal workforce training priorities to funding apprenticeships for trade jobs.

Mr. Trump did not specify what $3 billion he was referring to, but the administration previously froze more than $2 billion in federal funding approved for research at Harvard over concerns about the university not doing enough to combat antisemitism and because of its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

“What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed,” Mr. Trump said in a Monday post on his Truth Social platform  Harvard has sued to restore the grant funding.

It is the second time in a week that Mr. Trump has opened a new front in his battle with the elite university. Days ago, his administration announced that Harvard would be banned from enrolling international students.

The Department of Homeland Security told Harvard it was stripping the university of its student and exchange visitor program certification due to Harvard’s “failure to comply with simple reporting requirements,” for fostering an “unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students,” and for employing “racist” diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

On April 16, the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, sent a letter to Harvard asking for information about foreign students, such as “known illegal activity, and whether the activity occurred on campus,” “known dangerous or violent activity,” “threats to other students,” or if students left the university “due to dangerous or violent activity or deprivation of rights.”

On Friday, a United States District Court judge issued a restraining order against the administration while a lawsuit filed by Harvard against the administration plays out in court.

The president has waged a broad battle with Harvard since his return to the White House over claims of left-wing bias. Mr. Trump has also threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status and levy new taxes on its multibillion-dollar endowment.

The Department of Justice has opened its own probe into the university’s admissions process to see if it is in compliance with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action and, at the end of April, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission became the sixth federal agency to launch a probe into Harvard, this time going after the school for potentially unlawfully considering race and sex in faculty hiring decisions.


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