Harvard-White House talks stall, putting swift deal, funding at risk

Harvard University’s talks with the White House have stalled, according to a person familiar with the matter, threatening a quick resolution to a standoff that’s threatening the school’s finances and upending foreign student plans.  

A potential deal was knocked off course last week although hopes remain for an accord, said the person, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Harvard didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.  

The Trump administration ramped up pressure on Harvard earlier Monday, saying that a US investigation found that the school violated civil rights law in its treatment of Jewish and Israeli students. “Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources,” the government said in a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber.  

 

The administration has already scrapped more than $2.6 billion in federal research funding for Harvard, threatened the school’s tax-exempt status and sought to prevent it from enrolling foreign students. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he was nearing a deal with Harvard after months of attacking it. 

“They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,” Trump said June 20 on Truth Social. “If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be ‘mindbogglingly’ HISTORIC, and very good for our Country.”