US education secretary says Harvard may receive grants with policy changes

The US secretary of education has said institutions such as Harvard University could receive grants if they revise certain policies while public universities in the state of California may face possible cuts in federal funding.

“It would be my goal that if colleges and universities are abiding by the laws of the United States and doing what we expect of them, that they can expect taxpayer-funded programs,” Linda McMahon said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Tuesday.

She added that the Trump administration was “making progress in some of the discussions” with Harvard, despite the ongoing legal disputes.

The administration has halted over $2.6 billion in federal research funding to Harvard and sought to cancel its federal contracts, citing efforts to combat antisemitism on campus.

Harvard filed two lawsuits challenging the funding cuts and the US Department of Homeland Security's decision to revoke its international student admission license.

McMahon warned that the accreditation status of other universities may also face review.

“We're looking at accreditation in general for colleges and universities, because there has been some complaint about that,” she said. “It's like a real monopoly in some areas,” she added.

“In California, I think we saw pretty flagrant violations of Title IX, and that is why this focus that was put on them,” McMahon also told CNN Tuesday, referring to the 1972 civil rights law that prohibits educational institutions receiving federal funding from discrimination based on sex.

She added that the president is firmly committed to enforcing Title IX regulations, especially regarding the participation of transgender women in women's sports, which she described as a clear violation.

The administration's increased scrutiny of West Coast universities signals a new phase in its campaign to challenge elite US universities on political ideology, extending beyond its earlier focus on antisemitism on campuses.