Harvard research programs get "stop work orders" after $2.2 billion funding freeze

Amid cheers for its push-back against US President Donald Trump's demands, Harvard University is facing a dire situation with its research programs on the verge of collapsing. As the $2.2 billion federal funding freeze continues to roll out, these programs are bracing for "stop work orders."

Harvard confirmed that Dr Sarah Fortune, Chair of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, was one of the first to get a stop work order. Fortune’s lab focuses on the diversity of tuberculosis bacteria and how that contributes to differences in the disease, as well as treatment outcomes, according to her biography.

“That research was supported by a $60 million NIH contract and involved collaborative work by Harvard and multiple other universities across the U.S.,” a Harvard University spokesperson said.

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Harvard professor and former dean of the Harvard Medical School, Jeffrey Flier while speaking to CBS News said that the federal funding is the major source of the funding for the research carried out by thousands of scientists in these institutions. "If that were to be withdrawn as funds it would be a disaster for the research community," he added.

Meanwhile, Governor Maura Healey visited the UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester and highlighted that US President Trump’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health funding has severe impacts. They have “halted lifesaving research for cures and treatments, and rolled out the welcome mat for China and other countries to take over our competitive edge.”

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Trump administration freezes $2.2billion to Harvard

The United States government on Monday announced its decision to freeze more than $2 billion in grants to Harvard University after the college rejected the Donald Trump administration's demands for changes in admission policies as well as audit views of student clubs to curb 'anti-Semitism.'

The White House has also frozen $60 million in contracts to Harvard University.

In a letter to Harvard on Friday, President Trump's administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the university as well as derecognisation of some student clubs involved in anti-Semitic activities. The Trump administration also wanted Harvard to implement a comprehensive mask ban with serious and immediate penalties for violation.

• Governance and leadership reforms
• Merit-Based Hiring Reform
• Merit-Based Admissions Reform
• Viewpoint Diversity in Admissions and Hiring
• Reforming Programs with Egregious Records of Antisemitism or Other Bias
• Discontinuation of DEI (diversity, equity, and
  inclusion.)

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Harvard refuses the demands of Trump administration

However, Harvard University refused to accept the deal saying it would not "negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights." Harvard President Alan Garber, in a letter to the Harvard community, said the demands violated the university's rights under the Constitution's First Amendment and “exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI,” which prohibits discrimination against students based on their race, colour or national origin. Garber also said that while some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the 'intellectual conditions.'

While freezing the grants, the Trump administration said, "Harvard's statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges- that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws."

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