Overview
- Harvard finance leaders told faculty the university has received reinstatements for the majority of its direct federal awards and confirmed that payments have begun to hit accounts.
- The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health raised its spending cap to 80 percent on reinstated awards, rolled back some salary reductions, and urged faculty to limit new hiring and pause outgoing subawards.
- Agencies have been slow to disburse money, including more than two weeks for $46 million from HHS, and administrators warned the federal shutdown could delay additional payments.
- The White House plans to appeal the ruling and has declared Harvard ineligible for future grants, while HHS has opened suspension and debarment proceedings that could cut off federal funds.
- University units continue austerity measures such as layoffs, budget cuts, and a hiring freeze, and researchers report cautious restarts as broader budget shifts and a higher endowment tax add financial pressure.