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The Harvard Kennedy School of Government will lay off staff after federal funding cuts and endowment tax threats on Wednesday, according to an email from the dean of the school that was obtained by Fox News Digital.
Without mentioning the Trump administration directly, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy M. Weinstein announced in an email to faculty and staff that the cuts were in response to “unprecedented new headwinds” creating “significant financial challenges.” These included a “substantial proposed increase in the endowment tax” and “massive cuts to federal funding of research.”
He also cited the impact on international student enrollment after the administration eliminated the student visa program due to “pro-terrorist conduct” at Harvard’s campus protests. According to the Kennedy School, international students made up 59 percent of the school’s student body last year, and 52 percent on average in the past five years.
The Kennedy School has been planning for budget cuts since February, but the White House’s recent actions appear to have exacerbated the circumstances.
The Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in funding to the university and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status due to its handling of antisemitism on campus in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks on Israel by Hamas.
The Department of Education’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism released a statement on May 13, citing recent reporting that “has exposed the Harvard Law Review’s (HLR) pattern of endemic race discrimination when evaluating articles for inclusion in its journal.”
The findings resulted in the Trump administration cutting an additional $450 million in grants from the university.
In addition to layoffs, Harvard has implemented “important steps” to reduce costs across the Kennedy School, Weinstein said, such as pauses in hiring and merit-based pay, ending a lease on the first floor of an office building, halting “non-urgent” construction and renovation projects, and “reducing spending” across each core department.
“Unfortunately, those efforts alone will not be enough to address our current financial challenges,” the dean wrote. “As a result, we need to lay off some members of our team and restructure other positions to ensure the long-term financial future of the Kennedy School.”
Weinstein stated that managers would inform staff affected by the layoffs on Wednesday afternoon.
“This is an extremely difficult moment, and one that we did everything possible to avoid,” Weinstein added.
“I am truly sorry that we need to take this step as we navigate unprecedented challenges as a School and University,” Weinstein wrote, while also noting that the administration’s actions caused “even greater financial uncertainty.”
The Harvard Kennedy School declined to disclose to Fox News Digital how many staff members were laid off.
The Harvard School of Public Health implemented layoffs in April and other schools are considering cutting staff as well, the Harvard Crimson reported Thursday.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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