Why Trump wants to take $3 billion from Harvard and give it to US trade schools
US President Donald Trump announced that he is considering redirecting $3 billion in federal grants from Harvard University to trade schools across the country. The announcement came via his social media platform, Truth Social, where he described the move as “a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!” as reported by the New York Times.This plan comes amid a broader conflict between the Trump administration and Harvard University, one of the nation’s oldest and wealthiest educational institutions. The administration has frozen or withdrawn over $3 billion in research funding and contracts from Harvard and its partners, citing concerns about antisemitism, ideological bias, and the university’s response to federal demands related to foreign students.Funding freeze and political accusationsPresident Trump accused Harvard of being “very antisemitic” and criticized the university for what he described as slow cooperation with the government’s requests for detailed information on foreign students. According to the New York Times, the administration sought disciplinary records of international students and video footage of campus protests as part of a wide-ranging inquiry.Trump also claimed the government wanted to identify “radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all” among foreign students who “should not be let back into our country.” Harvard has only partially complied with these requests and declined to comment on the president’s recent statements.Impact on research and trade schoolsMuch of the frozen funding supports scientific research at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, including studies on tuberculosis and multiple sclerosis. Such research is typically outside the scope of trade schools, which specialize in practical skills like automotive repair, cosmetology, and other vocational training.Despite this, Jason Altmire, head of an association representing trade schools and for-profit colleges, welcomed Trump’s proposal. He noted that reducing regulation would better help his members but praised the administration’s recent steps. “President Trump has taken significant steps in this direction and we are optimistic that his announcement Monday will continue that momentum,” he said, according to the New York Times.Political context and ongoing legal battlesDuring his 2023 campaign, Trump proposed taxing large university endowments to create an “American Academy” that would provide free online educational content, including both academic subjects and skilled trades. He emphasized the academy would be “strictly nonpolitical,” excluding “wokeness or jihadism,” but no details or progress on this plan have been shared by the White House.Harvard is currently engaged in federal court battles in Boston, seeking to reinstate its frozen grants and challenging efforts to restrict international student admissions. These legal disputes highlight the escalating tensions between the university and the Trump administration over funding, ideology, and the future direction of US higher education.The Trump administration’s proposed redistribution of $3 billion in grants underscores a significant shift in federal education priorities that could reshape funding for both elite research universities and vocational education nationwide.
