Harvard federal funding freeze could lead to cuts to staff and programs at medical school
With President Donald Trump ordering a freeze to Harvard funding, the university's medical school in Massachusetts is reportedly planning to cut staff and other programs.
Harvard was hit with a $2.2 billion federal funding freeze as their conflict with the Trump administration heats up.
"Two billion dollars is a lot of money for anybody, even for Harvard," Wellesley College economics professor Phillip Levine told WBZ-TV Wednesday.
The Trump administration gave the Ivy League school a list of demands – end DEI programs and limit on-campus protests or risk losing $2.2 billion in federal funds. Harvard isn't giving in – and it's costing them.
Despite an enormous endowment fund, Levine said tapping into that account isn't a viable solution.
"We're talking $2 billion once, plus another half a billion dollars a year, essentially forever. That will do a very good job depleting that endowment pretty quickly," the Wellesley College professor explained.
HIV/AIDS research cut off
The funding freeze is impacting the school's financial aid programs and the critical research happening at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Researcher Jeff Imai-Eaton is focused on finding a cure for HIV/AIDs – a mission that's halted by Trump administration cuts to the Chan School of Public Health.
"A lot of the funding that has supported us to engage with governments and work with governments who are planning their research programs was cut off very abruptly," said Imai-Eaton.
When told that people in other countries are depending on his work, Imai-Eaton said, "Yeah, exactly. And a big disruption to those processes and disruption of trust."
Levine added, "You're at MGH and something is wrong with you, you are very grateful that Harvard is spending all of that money on research."
Harvard's tax exempt status targeted
That's not all, in this heated political climate, President Trump is targeting Harvard's tax exemption status. It's a move that could cost the university millions more.
"I think it's really unfortunate to link these things together," Imai-Eaton said. "I think it overlooks the massive impact that our work has on society."
