President Trump has personally stipulated that hefty financial penalties be part of agreements his administration is negotiating with the elite universities. Critics call it extortion.
As the Trump administration has publicly targeted elite universities, it has also quietly pursued funding cuts for the nation’s tribal colleges, which rely on federal dollars to operate.
Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago, Neb. Many tribal colleges are hubs of Native culture. Little Priest, for example, promotes itself as the only college in America that teaches the Ho-Chunk language.
Austerity is coming to colleges boxed in by President Trump’s cuts and their own troubles. As they lay off workers, cut majors and take other steps, the changes may eventually be felt in classrooms.
A potential $500 million settlement would end a monthslong battle that pitted the nation’s wealthiest school against the Trump administration’s extraordinary crackdown on higher education.
The administration doubled down against Harvard, asserting that rising violent crime on campus meant the school should not host international students. It will also review the school’s patents.
Harvard University and the White House are discussing a deal to end their legal battles. But Friday’s moves suggested that the relationship remained contentious.
The Trump administration has ended about $500 million for the Los Angeles-based university. The president said he wanted nearly double that to restart the flow of funds.
The Trump administration has ended about $500 million for the Los Angeles-based university. The president said he wanted nearly double that to restart the flow of funds.
Harvard officials have been sensitive to the possibility that a deal with the government would be seen as surrendering to the president and offering him a political gift.
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