(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump on Friday said he plans to remove Harvard’s tax-exempt status, the latest move in the administration’s policy battle with the Ivy League school.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” Trump said on social media. “It’s what they deserve!”
Last week, the Internal Revenue Service reportedly received an inquiry from the Treasury Department to rescind the school’s tax-exemption status.
Tax exemption is reserved for nonprofits, social welfare organizations, religious groups and some educational institutions that fit the government’s criteria. However, they are banned from political campaign activity.
Trump previously froze more than $2.2 billion in federal research funding for the school, citing its refusal to comply with controversial demands surrounding curriculum, protests and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The institution has sued the Trump administration over the funding cuts and joined more than 100 colleges in denouncing Trump’s orders.
Harvard has said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus, though it has revamped its DEI office amid administration pressure.
NewsNation partner The Hill contributed to this report.