Mass. Leadership Slams Trump’s Attacks On Harvard

As Harvard begins its legal fight against the White House, Massachusetts’ most powerful state and national politicians are speaking out against Trump’s attack on the University’s funding.

After President Alan Garber issued a stern response against the Trump administration’s demands, the administration froze $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contracts. Since the initial funding cuts, the administration has also threatened to revoke eligibility to host international students, remove the University’s tax-exempt status, and called for an additional $1 billion cut from health research funding.

Harvard filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday over the funding cuts and its attempts to “punish Harvard for protecting its constitutional rights.”

Senator Ed J. Markey (D-Mass.) condemned Trump’s attempts to “bully institutions into silence” in a statement to The Crimson, and labeled his actions as indicative of “authoritarianism.”

“I am proud of Harvard for standing up to the Trump administration’s illegal power grabs, and I will continue to fight back against Trump’s authoritarian agenda on behalf of institutions and students everywhere,” he wrote.

Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 also criticized Trump's attacks on Harvard in a Sunday CBS News appearance on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” She specifically cited threats to Harvard’s scientific research — the main target of the funding cuts.

“This is really bad,” Healey said. “It’s bad for patients, it’s bad for science, and it’s really bad for American competitiveness.”

As Harvard faces more than $3 billion in potential cuts, Healey said there is “no way a state can begin to make up for the cuts to federal funding.”

Massachusetts officials, including Healey, previously condemned the Trump administration’s early April decision to review nearly $9 billion in Harvard’s federal funding. The governor’s comments on “Face the Nation” only emphasize the growing frustration toward President Trump.

“Massachusetts, we’ve got a number of colleges and universities, research institutions. These are entities that actually have pioneered for decades,” Healey said. “Cures to diseases, cancer, working right now on treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and so much more”

But Healey said this research is put on the line by Trump’s funding cuts. The National Institutes of Health paused additional grant payments to Harvard, after the Department of Health and Human Services terminated more than $110 million in research grants to Harvard and affiliated hospitals.

“There’s a reason this country has led the world, remember, and it’s because we’ve invested in science and innovation for decades,” she added.

Healey says that President Trump is “giving away intellectual assets” by pushing for these cuts.

“Research labs are shutting down, scientists and researchers are leading the United States and going to other countries to do their work,” Healey said.

“What Donald Trump is doing is basically saying to China and other countries, ‘Come to the United States, take our scientists, take our researchers,’” she added.

Senator Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.) has also condemned Trump’s actions in a statement on social media platform X.

“Cutting research for cancer or heart disease does not help anyone. Harvard is right to reject the Trump administration’s demands,” Warren wrote in a Tuesday post. “I support their efforts to fight back, and I hope more institutions step up to protect academic freedom.”

As the University prepares for a high-stakes legal fight against the Trump administration, Healey said the Trump administration’s attempts to “silence” colleges and universities will not stand up in court.

“That’s what Donald Trump is about. There’s no merit to any of this. And of course, it’s illegal,” she said. “You can’t do that as President of the United States.”

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at megan.blonigen@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.