Overview

• Negotiators outlined a framework for Harvard to spend $500 million on workforce programs in exchange for restoring billions in federal research funding.
• A split inside the administration pits aides seeking a quick presidential win against those demanding tougher enforcement such as an independent compliance monitor, which Harvard opposes.
• Justice Department approval never materialized, and momentum slowed after senior strategist May Mailman stepped back from her West Wing role.
• U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs issued an 84-page ruling criticizing the government’s tactics and finding First Amendment violations against Harvard, and officials have signaled a likely appeal.
• Earlier freezes and grant cuts have cast uncertainty over Harvard’s research enterprise, while settlements struck by Columbia and Brown provide a template that now weighs on Harvard’s choices.