Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Death toll nears 50 in northern Gaza aid massacre, with more casualties expected
Gaza Government Media Office: We are on the precipice of mass deaths on account of occupation closing all crossings for more than 140 days.
Gaza Government Media Office: World watches as Gaza is slaughtered without batting an eye.
Gaza Government Media Office: We stand before the greatest mass slaughter in modern history.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Toll of aid-seeking martyrs today has climbed to 17.
Tasnim news agency: Iran, E3 reach agreement to resume nuclear talks, no date agreed upon yet.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 18 martyrs killed by occupation fire in Gaza since morning, including 12 aid seekers.
Ghalibaf: Israeli aggression against countries targeted by global arrogance confirms that Damascus will not be the last Islamic capital to be targeted.
Ghalibaf: Iran stresses its support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf: Amid Israeli aggression on Damascus, we assert that Iran always stands on the side of the Syrian people.

Harvard Kennedy School to lay off staff due to funding problems

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 27 Jun 2025 10:22
3 Min Read

Harvard Kennedy School is laying off staff on account of the massive federal funding cuts and immigration restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.

Listen
  • x
  • In this Nov. 19, 2002 file photo, students walk through the Harvard Law School area on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. (AP)
    In this Nov. 19, 2002 file photo, students walk through the Harvard Law School area on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP)

The Harvard Kennedy School of Government is preparing to lay off staff next week as it confronts the fallout of unprecedented federal funding cuts and new restrictions on international student enrollment. The move, first reported by Fox News, stems from mounting financial and political pressure on the university following a series of aggressive actions by the Trump administration.

In a message to faculty and staff, Dean Jeremy Weinstein acknowledged the gravity of the decision. "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…This is an extremely difficult moment, and one that we did everything possible to avoid," he wrote.

The looming layoffs follow a dramatic step taken on April 15, when the US Department of Education revoked $2.2 billion in federal research grants earmarked for Harvard. The cut was part of a broader freeze affecting institutions tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and came amid a campaign against pro-Palestine protests. The White House later escalated the pressure by instructing agencies to terminate an additional $100 million in federal contracts with the university.

In a related move, the Department of Homeland Security announced on May 22 that Harvard would no longer be permitted to enroll new foreign students, and that those currently studying under visas would need to transfer elsewhere. The restriction aligned with a broader effort by the Trump administration to limit foreign academic presence at elite US universities, citing concerns over national security and ideological bias. Harvard immediately filed suit, obtaining a Temporary Restraining Order that blocked the DHS directive.

Related News

Trump cuts funding for California rail, escalating feud with Newsom

Trump escalates Harvard funding cuts, slashes another $450 million

Further intensifying the standoff, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on June 4 barring foreign nationals from entering the United States for at least six months if they planned to study at or participate in Harvard-affiliated programs. Harvard again challenged the measure in federal court, and a Massachusetts district judge ruled in the university's favor, suspending the proclamation's implementation.

Academic reckoning

Together, these actions (massive funding withdrawals, contract terminations, and immigration restrictions) have left Harvard, and especially its public policy school, in a state of institutional upheaval. Faculty hiring has stalled, program budgets have been frozen, and international partnerships have been thrown into question.

Though Harvard has prevailed in several legal challenges, the Kennedy School now faces an uncertain future. Its reliance on federal research funding and a globally diverse student body has made it particularly vulnerable to the administration's broader campaign to reshape the landscape of higher education by targeting institutions it accuses of advancing certain agendas.

Read more: University of California faculty sues Trump over funding cuts

Observers warn the impact could extend beyond Harvard, as other research universities reliant on federal support and international talent brace for similar interventions.

In Massachusetts, where Harvard is a major economic driver, state officials and business leaders have voiced concern that the escalating confrontation threatens not only academic freedom but also the regional economy.

  • Federal funding cuts
  • Harvard Foreign Student Ban
  • layoffs
  • Trump administration
  • Harvard University
  • Harvard federal funding ban
  • Harvard

Most Read

Algerian nurse stabbed in Germany

Murder of Algerian nurse in Germany sparks outcry, demands for justice

  • Europe
  • 14 Jul 2025
Credible reports, including some from Israeli media itself, indicate that Tel Aviv had pinned its hopes on what can only be described as a delusional plan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Jebraily: Iran strikes rewrote regional deterrence rules - Exclusive

  • MENA
  • 15 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam Brigades fighters confront Israeli soldiers in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

3 Israeli soldiers killed amid Gaza battles: Israeli media

  • Palestine
  • 14 Jul 2025
Donald Trump, the Corporate Aristocracy and the Israelization of the World

Donald Trump, the Corporate Aristocracy and the Israelization of the World

  • Opinion
  • 15 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Senator: Israeli plan for US support to displace Palestinians ‘sick'
Politics

Dem. Senator slams Israeli push for Gaza expulsion as 'sickening'

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, center, and other clergymen gather at the Church of St. George Al Khidr on Monday, days after an arson attack at the site reportedly by Israeli settlers. (AFP - Getty Images)
Politics

Christians under Israeli settler fire in Jesus native Palestinian soil

Smoke from Israeli airstrikes on the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP)
Politics

650 days of Israeli war: 125,000 tons of bombs; 2,613 families effaced

Gaza Health Ministry: Starved Palestinians face imminent death
Politics

Gaza MoH issues warning: Starved Palestinians face imminent death

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS