Trump announced the withdrawal of tax exemption for Harvard University: “This is worth it!”

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will revoke the Harvard University tax exemption status.

Trump has announced that he will revoke the tax exemption status of the Harvard University Photo: Archive

Donald Trump said on Friday that he intends to withdraw the Harvard University the tax exemption status. The announcement was made in a post on the Truth Social Platform: “We will give up the tax exemption status of the Harvard University. That is worth it! ”

This statement marks the escalation of a broader conflict related to political ideology, freedom of expression and financing of academic institutions. On April 15, Trump had already launched the public idea, and the internal income (IRS) service would have begun to analyze the ways in which it could be implemented.

Harvard reaction

The university reacted firmly: “There is no legal basis to cancel the Harvard University tax exemption status“, Said a spokesman for CNN.”Such an unprecedented action would endanger the ability to carry out our educational mission. ”

University officials claim that the withdrawal of this status would seriously affect the functioning of the institution: “The money for federal taxes should be withdrawn from other priorities and would reduce financial aid for students, abandoning critical medical research and loss of innovation opportunities.”.

The American law explicitly forbids a president to ask the IRS to investigate an institution. If the IRS would decide that the exemption status should be revoked, a legal process would be required, and the university would be given the chance to challenge the decision. So far, IRS has not publicly commented on Trump's statements.

Ironically, the message the president came on the same day when his administration presented to Congress a budget project that would reduce nearly $ 2.5 billion financing. The White House said: “The president's budget restores the IRS as a neutral arbitrator who will no longer use law enforcement measures as an excessively olo -zealous rules against the American people”.

Withdrawing tax exemption for a higher education institution is extremely rare. The notable precedent is the one from 1970, when the IRS sanctioned Bob Jones University to prohibit interrassial relationships between students. The decision was later maintained by the Supreme Court.

Conflicts between Trump and Harvard administration

The tensions between the Trump and Harvard administration have accentuated after the common operative group of the White House to combat anti-Semitism has frozen over $ 2 billion in federal research financing. The university sued the government to obtain the funds, but a decision is expected only in the middle of summer.

The Trump administration warned that Harvard may also lose the right to host international students, if they do not comply with a controversial requirements: elimination of diversity and inclusion programs, prohibition of protests, reforms based on merit in employment and admission, teaching disciplinary files of international students and limiting the influence of the teachers “dedicated to activism more than studiilor “.

The President of the University categorically rejected these pressures: “Harvard will not give up independence, nor his constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can afford to be taken over by the federal government. ”

Although the White House states that its actions aim to combat anti -Semitism in the context of protests related to the conflict in Gaza, several Jewish researchers and organizations have expressed concerns about the extent of the attacks on the University.

Harvard takes symbolic steps to conform

In response, Harvard has taken some measures, including the renaming of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion in the Community and Life Bureau on Campus and the publication of two reports on the control of anti -Semitism and other forms of discrimination. He also provided certain data to the internal security department, but without specifying what he transmitted.

“Harvard measures so far are positive“, Said an official of the White House,”But what we see is not enough and, in fact, additional funds will be reduced. ”