Trump administration requests Harvard’s foreign funding records

The administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it had formally requested Harvard University to provide detailed information about its foreign funding over the past decade, as well as about its international affiliations.

Report informs via Reuters that this move is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to exert pressure on some of the country’s most prominent academic institutions.

Sources indicate that the administration has launched a highly controversial initiative targeting elite universities, including Harvard, in response to pro-Palestinian protests erupting on campuses, as well as within the larger context of what has been dubbed a “culture war.”

Under US federal law, universities are required to disclose any donations received from foreign sources exceeding $250,000 per year.

In a letter addressed to Harvard’s interim president, Alan Garber, the US Department of Education stated that the university had submitted incomplete and inaccurate data on foreign contributions between 2014 and 2019.

“This request for documentation is the Trump administration’s first step in ensuring that Harvard is not subject to foreign influence or acting at the direction of foreign entities,” said US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.