The Trump administration directed federal agencies Tuesday to stop doing business with Harvard University in the latest attempt by the government to cut the flow of federal money to the school.
All federal agencies were ordered to cut off existing contracts with Harvard or transfer them to other vendors, according to a letter from the U.S. General Services Administration published by the Boston Globe and the New York Times.
Read more: Here’s everything Trump has stripped from Harvard so far — and what is threatened
The administration has accused Harvard of racial discrimination and allowing antisemitism to fester on campus. It has targeted the school increasingly aggressively in recent weeks, including by attempting to withdraw billions in federal funding for research. A federal judge on Friday blocked the government from revoking a key certification Harvard needs to enroll international students, who make up more than a quarter of the student population.
The letter sent to federal agencies Tuesday accused Harvard of racial discrimination in its admissions and hiring and said the school has not adequately responded to stem antisemitic harassment of Jewish students.
The General Services Administration, which oversees federal contracts, said in the letter that each federal agency should “consider its contracts with Harvard University and determine whether Harvard and its services efficiently promote the priorities of the agency.”
The government’s remaining contracts with Harvard are worth an estimated $100 million, according to the New York Times.
“The government has a duty to ensure that procurement dollars are directed to vendors and contractors who promote and champion principles of nondiscrimination and the national interest,” Josh Gruenbaum, the General Services Administration official who authored the letter, wrote.
He said government agencies should report their contract cancellations by June 6.
