$500 million, power plays, and political revenge: Why the Harvard-Trump deal is stuck
Talks that had advanced quickly this summer slowed in recent weeks, people familiar with the discussions said, the report stated, as divisions inside the Trump administration emerged over how tough the agreement should be.
Harvard has not yet issued a comment on the latest development. (File Photo) Negotiations between Harvard University and the White House have stalled, dimming prospects for what was once billed as a “mindbogglingly historic” settlement to restore billions in federal research funding and resolve a crush of investigations into the university, The New York Times reported.
Talks that had advanced quickly this summer slowed in recent weeks, people familiar with the discussions said, the report stated, as divisions inside the Trump administration emerged over how tough the agreement should be. Some aides want to hand President Donald Trump a political victory by sealing the deal, while others argue the current framework is too lenient on Harvard.
At issue is whether Harvard will accept an independent monitor to oversee compliance — a condition the university has resisted. The proposal comes after months of escalating pressure from the administration, which cut research grants, launched more than a dozen probes, and demanded hundreds of millions in settlement payments as part of a broader campaign against elite universities accused of harbouring liberal bias, the report added.
A $500 million framework in limbo
Just a month ago, negotiators appeared close to an agreement under which Harvard would spend $500 million on workforce programmes in exchange for the return of research funding. Approval from the Justice Department, however, never materialised, and the plan has since languished.
The slowdown coincided with the departure of May Mailman, the White House strategist who spearheaded much of Trump’s push against higher education. Her exit has left the process sputtering, officials said as the NYT report.
While other schools, including Columbia University, have cut deals to end investigations, Harvard has dug in its heels, suing the government to block efforts it says trample academic freedom and First Amendment protections.
Court rebuke boosts Harvard
The standoff escalated further this week when Judge Allison D Burroughs of the US District Court in Boston criticised the administration’s tactics. In an 84-page ruling, she said the government had “used antisemitism as a smoke screen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”
The court found the administration violated Harvard’s First Amendment rights and misused federal power for political retribution. The ruling was a win for Harvard, though it does not guarantee a restoration of lost research money or protect future grants. The administration has vowed to appeal.
Politics inside, and outside
Inside the White House, officials remain split. Harmeet K Dhillon, the Justice Department’s civil rights chief, has warned that a deal weak on enforcement could anger Trump’s conservative base. Others worry about overshadowing the $500 million commitment, a figure Trump has personally insisted upon, the NYT report added.
“We want nothing less than $500 million from Harvard,” Trump told Education Secretary Linda McMahon during a cabinet meeting last week. “They’ve been very bad. Don’t negotiate.”
For Harvard, the stakes are immense. Without a settlement, the university faces prolonged uncertainty over federal contracts that are essential to its research enterprise. Yet agreeing to government oversight could set a precedent other universities fear.
(With Inputs from New York Times)
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