A recent letter from the White House to Harvard University, which includes a set of demands regarding the institution’s hiring and admissions practices, was reportedly dispatched without proper authorization. This information was reported by the New York Times, citing sources familiar with the situation.
Sent on April 11, the letter requested Harvard to abolish its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and to conduct ideological screenings of international students, among other contentious directives. Sources revealed to the Times that the controversial letter was “unauthorized.”
While the letter’s content was deemed authentic, the Times reported that “there were differing accounts inside the administration of how it had been mishandled.”
The document bore the signatures of Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the General Services Administration; Sean R. Kevney, the acting general counsel for the Department of Health and Human Services; and Thomas E. Wheeler, the acting general counsel for the Department of Education.
A representative from Harvard stated to Finance Newso that “the letter that Harvard received on Friday, April 11, was signed by three federal officials, placed on official letterhead, was sent from the e-mail inbox of a senior federal official, and was sent on April 11 as promised.”
The spokesperson added, “Recipients of such correspondence from the U.S. government—even when it contains sweeping demands that are astonishing in their overreach—do not question its authenticity or seriousness.”
Bearing a sense of confusion, the spokesperson expressed, “It remains unclear to us exactly what, among the government’s recent words and deeds, were mistakes or what the government actually meant to do and say.”
“Regardless of whether the letter was a mistake, the government’s actions this week have palpable consequences on students, patients, employees, and the reputation of American higher education,” the spokesperson noted.
The White House had not immediately issued a response to Finance Newso’s inquiry regarding the New York Times report.
The communication from April 11 ignited a public dispute between the White House and Harvard. Following the university’s rejection of the demands in the letter, nearly $9 billion in federal funding for the institution was placed at risk.
In retort, the White House announced it would freeze approximately $2.2 billion in grants allocated for Harvard.
The New York Times also reported that the April 11 letter emerged while lawyers from Harvard were engaged in discussions with White House officials regarding the university’s approach to issues such as antisemitism.
