Trump to axe $100m in federal contracts for Harvard University after banning foreign students

27 May 2025, 18:25

The Trump administration has called on government departments to axe their remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, according to reports.

A letter from the US General Services Administration (GSA) has instructed federal agencies to file a list of contracts they have ended with the university by June 6.

"Going forward, we also encourage your agency to seek alternative vendors for future services where you had previously considered Harvard," the letter reads.

It was signed by the commissioner of the GSA's Federal Acquisition Service commissioner - Josh Gruenbaum.

A government official, who was not named by The New York Times, told the outlet the plans would impact contracts with around nine agencies.

A $49,858 National Institutes of Health contract to explore the effects of coffee drinking and a $25,800 Homeland Security Department contract for senior executive training are thought to be among those set to be slashed.

Several Harvard contracts under review are understood to already have received “stop work” orders, the source said.

It comes amid President Donald Trump's war on Harvard after the federal government revoked Harvard's certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students.

Harvard enrols almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most are graduate students and they come from more than 100 countries.

The federal government announced the action on Thursday, accusing Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing "anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators" to assault Jewish students on campus.

It has also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, contending the university had hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.

In April, the Trump administration froze more than $2.2bn in contracts and multiyear grants to the university after refused to comply with the administration's demands it deemed would have a huge impact on its hiring, admissions and other policies.

Last week, Harvard announced legal action against the US government over the foreign students ban.

In a statement, Harvard's President Alan M. Garber said: "The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body."

The statement condemned the "unlawful and unwarranted action", and added: "We have just filed a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow. As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars."