Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) said President Trump\u2019s cuts to Harvard University\u2019s funding are part of his \u201coutrageous\u201d plan to silence his critics.<\/p>\n
Healey joined CBS News\u2019s \u201cFace the Nation\u201d on Sunday, where she weighed in on the administration\u2019s attacks<\/a> on the university in her state, which is also her alma mater.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s outrageous,\u201d she said of Trump\u2019s moves to end Harvard\u2019s tax-exempt status. \u201cBut it\u2019s part of this continued playbook that Donald Trump has been using, which is to silence critics.\u201d<\/p>\n Harvard is the most recent institution to be drawn into a battle with Trump, following a series of law firms that have struck deals<\/a> with the administration after being targeted by executive orders and companies pushing for exemptions<\/a> to his tariff plan.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, he\u2019s going after colleges and universities, using any and all tactics to try to shut them down, to silence them. That\u2019s what Donald Trump is about,\u201d Healey said. \u201cThere\u2019s no merit to any of this. And of course, it\u2019s illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n The administration has frozen $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard after the university became the first school to openly reject<\/a> the administration\u2019s demands to change its policies.<\/p>\n The administration, which has gone after multiple universities under accusations that they have not done enough to counter campus antisemitism, had demanded that Harvard eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies and change its hiring and admission policies, among other things.<\/p>\n Columbia University agreed to similar demands in an attempt to get back $400 million in frozen funding. The school has not had the funding reinstated, however, and has in fact faced further cuts.<\/p>\n Following Harvard’s refusal to implement the demanded changes, Trump has called the school \u201ca joke\u201d and threatened to end its tax-exempt status. <\/p>\n