Washington: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Monday that it is referring Harvard University to the agency office that handles suspension and debarment cases, citing alleged inaction on antisemitism. If enforced, the decision would block Harvard from obtaining federal funds or signing contracts with the US government, potentially cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in yearly research grants and funding.

According to Anadolu Agency, the latest civil rights complaint marks a new point of contention between the Trump administration and Harvard. Officials have consistently accused the university of discriminatory practices and of failing to address antisemitic incidents, claims that Harvard has denied. In June, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a violation notice, asserting that Harvard was "deliberately indifferent" to the discrimination and harassment faced by Jewish and Israeli students.

Soon after, the Trump administration sent the case to the Justice Department for potential civil rights action, as reported by Axios. Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that the administration had unlawfully frozen billions in Harvard's multiyear federal grants and barred further freezes against the university. The OCR's referral to the HHS' Suspension and Debarment Program initiates a review to decide whether Harvard will lose access to federal grants and contracts, and for how long. The university has 20 days to inform OCR if it will request a hearing.

'OCR's referral of Harvard for formal administrative proceedings reflects OCR's commitment to safeguard both taxpayer investments and the broader public interest,' OCR director Paula M. Stannard stated on Monday. In June, a Harvard spokesperson told Axios that the school has taken 'substantive, proactive steps' against antisemitism and is continuing efforts to address 'bigotry, hate and bias.'