Trump government’s actions may cost Harvard $1.28 billion a year

WASHINGTON – Harvard University warned that the combined cost of federal actions against the school, including a recently passed

tax increase on its endowment,

could approach US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) annually. 

The university said its leadership in each school and unit will continue to cut expenditures and a hiring freeze for faculty and staff remains in place, according to a letter sent out by president Alan Garber and other leaders on July 14. 

“The unprecedented challenges we face have led to disruptive changes, painful layoffs and ongoing uncertainty about the future,” Dr Garber and the officers wrote. 

The Trump administration has made Harvard its primary target in its efforts to reshape higher education, freezing more than

US$2.6 billion in research funding

, threatening its tax-exempt status and attempting to stop international students from enrolling.

The government initially accused the university of

failing to tackle anti-Semitism

, but the attack has broadened to include accusations of political bias and promoting diversity initiatives in hiring and admissions. 

Harvard has sued the government twice – for cutting off federal funding, including from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, and also to prevent a ban on international students, who have been a large source of revenue. 

“We hope our legal challenges will reverse some of these federal actions and that our efforts to raise alternative sources of funding will be successful,” the officials wrote.

“As that work proceeds, we also need to prepare for the possibility that the lost revenues will not be restored any time soon.” 

The university, the richest and oldest in the US, has a US$53 billion endowment, which provides almost 40 per cent of its annual operating budget. In 2024, Harvard’s operating revenue base was US$6.5 billion, according to its annual report. Operating expenses were US$6.4 billion, an increase of 9 per cent.

Harvard explained in the letter that the reconciliation Bill passed in July could raise the federal tax on income from its endowment to as high as 8 per cent from 1.4 per cent. BLOOMBERG