May 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Monday it has ended $60 million in federal grants to Harvard University.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has frozen or terminated federal grants and contracts for universities worth nearly $3 billion in recent weeks.
Since taking office in January, the Republican president has tried to overhaul the US academia using federal research funds.
The administration accused Harvard of continuing to consider ethnicity when considering student applications and allowed discrimination against Jews as a result of Palestinian student protests that have rocked American campuses last year.
Columbia University in New York targets allegations of anti-Semitism.
“HHS is ending multiple multi-year grant awards as Harvard University fails to address anti-Semitic harassment and racism.
Harvard University did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based agency previously said it “cannot absorb the overall cost” of the freeze grant, and it is working with researchers to help researchers find alternative funds. He is also suing the Trump administration over a decision to cut grants.
Earlier this month, the university settled a famous lawsuit by an orthodox Jewish student who said Harvard University ignored anti-Semitism on campus.
The settlement comes four months after Harvard promised additional protections to Jewish students. That’s because they settled two lawsuits that claimed it was a breeding ground for anti-Semitism.
(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey of Bengaluru, edited by Christian Schmollinger and Kate Mayberry)
