Trump admin demands Harvard report its foreign investments. Harvard says it has
The U.S. Department of Education sent Harvard University a records request on Thursday, demanding that the institution disclose foreign investments.
"As a recipient of federal funding, Harvard University must be transparent about its relations with foreign sources and governments. Unfortunately, our review indicated that Harvard has not been fully transparent or complete in its disclosures, which is both unacceptable and unlawful," U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
McMahon called the records request the "first step to ensure Harvard is not being manipulated by, or doing the bidding of, foreign entities."
Higher education institutions are required to disclose foreign source gifts and contracts with a value of $250,000 or more to the U.S. Department of Education through Section 117 reports.
Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said Harvard has filed Section 117 reports "for decades as part of its ongoing compliance with the law."
Philanthropic support is critical for the institution and a primary source of the university's funding, helping to increase financial aid and support its academics and operations.
"Throughout Harvard's history, support from alumni and donors at all levels has been essential to our continued excellence in our research and teaching mission, which in turn enables Harvard's critical impact in the world by helping to address society's most pressing issues," Newton said.
The demands come after the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard detailing a list of demands the institution would have to comply with to avoid having its $9 billion in federal funding to the school and its affiliates cancelled.
The institution refused to comply this week, resulting in the U.S. Department of Education stating that it would immediately freeze "$2.2 billion in multi-year grant and $60 million in multi-year contract value" to the school.
The government has also threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and the Department of Homeland Security is requiring the institution to submit detailed records of foreign students' visa holders' "illegal and violent activities" before the end of the month. The administration is otherwise threatening to allow the institution to enroll international students, which makes up 40% of its student body.
In 2020, the Trump administration investigated Harvard and other higher education institutions, claiming that they failed to report more than $6.5 billion in foreign gifts and contracts. The investigation ended in 2024.
That same year the institution submitted updated reports from 2014-2018, which included additional contracts, Newton said.
The Department of Education requested a long list of demands within 30 days on Thursday to show that Harvard has complied with the law.
The list included that Harvard disclose the identities of donors involved in foreign source gifts and the records and the emails of expelled foreign students or foreign students who have had their Harvard credentials canceled since 2016.
The department is also requesting the names, last known addresses and contact information of all of the visiting or temporary researchers, scholars, students and faculty at Harvard who are from or affiliated with foreign governments.
