Latest news with #FederalAcquisitionService
Business Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Trump to end US$100-million federal contracts with Harvard University
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump's administration is moving to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, marking the latest escalation of its battle against the oldest and richest US school. Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, in a letter seen by Bloomberg News, is directing federal agencies to review their contracts, terminate those that they deem not critical and transition to other vendors if necessary. The contracts are worth an estimated US$100 million, according to a person with knowlege of the matter, who asked not to named discussing the administration's moves. 'The US General Services Administration (GSA) is assisting all federal agencies in a review for termination or transition of their federal government contracts with Harvard University and affiliates,' the letter says. 'This review aligns with the Administration's directive that all federal contracted services steadfastly uphold and advance agency strategic priorities.' The letter, first reported by the New York Times, asks agencies to report on their 'actions or intended actions with respect to each referenced contract' by Jun 6. Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration has already moved to freeze funding and block Harvard's ability to enrol international students in an intensifying battle over what the president has cast as a failure by the university and other academic institutions to crack down on antisemitism, and part of a broader campaign against diversity efforts and left-wing bias. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Administration officials are pressuring schools including Columbia, Cornell, Northwestern and other elite universities to institute broad policy changes, raising concerns over academic freedom, free speech and government interference. Harvard has been front and centre in the White House's campaign, with the administration suspending more than US$2.6 billion in federal research money and saying the school will not be able to receive new funding. Trump has also repeatedly called for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status, which would have significant financial implications, even with the school's US$53 billion endowment. The government has sought a series of changes as a condition of continuing its financial relationship with the university. It has demanded the university remake its governance, transform admissions and faculty hiring – which the administration has called discriminatory – as well as stop admitting international students who officials say are hostile to American values. The letter alleges that Harvard has continued to 'engage in race discrimination, including in its admissions process and in other areas of student life' and says that the government is 'aware of recent events at Harvard University involving anti-Semitic action that suggest the institution has a disturbing lack of concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students.' Gruenbaum referred to alleged discrimination at the Harvard Law Review. A federal task force recently called out the Review's award of a US$65,000 fellowship to a protester who faced criminal charges for assaulting a Jewish student on campus, a decision that the government claims was 'reviewed and approved' by a faculty committee. Harvard president Alan Garber, who's Jewish, has apologised for Harvard's handling of antisemitism on campus and acknowledged that he has experienced prejudice himself at the school. But he has also said the extent of the government's demands show that 'the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism.' The university has sued the US government over the cuts to funding as well as the block on enrolling international students. The university last week won a temporary court order blocking the government from enforcing the foreign student ban. 'We needed to move quickly because the consequences of revocation of visas for our international students were dire,' Garber told the Harvard Gazette. There will be a court hearing this week where Harvard will seek to extend the restraining order, he said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has argued that Harvard's responses to the government's requests to provide information about misconduct by foreign students were insufficient. To regain its programme certification, Harvard was given 72 hours to provide six categories of information about foreign students over the past five years, including disciplinary records and video of those engaged in protests. Harvard still hasn't turned over the requested information. Trump on Monday also threatened to also divert billions in grant dollars away from the university. 'I am considering taking Three billion US dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land,' Trump said in a post on social media. 'What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!' BLOOMBERG
New York Times
24-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Columbia Faculty Protests as Trump Officials Hail University Concessions
The Trump administration on Monday welcomed concessions by Columbia University to tighten disciplinary procedures and assert more control over academic departments in response to charges of antisemitism, saying the actions represent a 'positive first step in the university maintaining a financial relationship with the United States government.' Facing the loss of about $400 million in federal research funding, Columbia has pledged that masked demonstrators must show identification when asked, that protests will generally not be allowed in academic buildings and that several dozen public security officers will be empowered to make arrests. The Trump administration's statement on Monday was its first extensive response to Columbia's announcement about concessions three days earlier. The changes are being made in response to Trump administration claims that antisemitism, particularly as a part of pro-Palestinian demonstrations, has been insufficiently checked on campus. 'Columbia is demonstrating appropriate cooperation with the Trump administration's requirements, and we look forward to a lasting resolution,' Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. She added that she had been communicating with Columbia's interim president, Katrina Armstrong, during the last few weeks and that she appreciated 'her leadership and commitment to advance truly meaningful reforms on campus.' Still, the road to restoring funding is long. The Trump administration regards the actions Columbia has announced as a 'precondition' to formal talks to restore canceled federal grants and contracts, which largely affect scientific and medical research. 'Columbia's early steps are a positive sign, but they must continue to show that they are serious in their resolve to end antisemitism and protect all students and faculty on their campus through permanent and structural reform,' said Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, which is part of the General Services Administration, one of the agencies calling for changes at Columbia. Earlier on Monday, about 50 professors turned out in a steady drizzle outside the campus gates to protest the funding cuts and what they criticized as Columbia's conciliatory response. The professors said they hoped to be the vanguard of a resistance movement among academics that remains, for now, at an early stage. 'We need to stand up, all of us,' said Michael Thaddeus, a mathematics professor at Columbia and vice president of the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors, speaking to the crowd. 'We need to organize, from the grass roots to the national level. If we lead, our leaders will follow.' The protesting professors included a biomedical researcher who spoke on behalf of colleagues who had been laid off because of the funding cuts and a professor who studies autocratic regimes and protest movements. They held up signs with slogans including 'Protect Academic Freedom' and 'Columbia Fight Back.' 'What is happening to Columbia now is what the erosion of democracy looks like,' said Virginia Page Fortna, a political science professor. Calling on their knowledge of history and university governance, the professors said that the attacks against Columbia resembled steps commonly taken by authoritarian leaders. They said that Columbia's concessions had weakened academic independence by consolidating power in the office of the university president. 'We've studied what's happened to universities in authoritarianism,' said Anya Schiffrin, a senior lecturer at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. 'We've seen what happened in Spain under Franco, in Turkey, in India and in Hungary. It's a mistake to think it won't happen here.' The professors said they were particularly upset at the concessions that reduced faculty power, a concept that academics call 'shared governance.' They said those changes would make it easier for the university to bend to political will. The Columbia University Judicial Board, which federal officials have said was too slow and lenient in its punishment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, will now be overseen by the school's administration, not by its University Senate, a 111-member deliberative body that includes faculty and staff members and students. The Columbia president will decide all appeals. A new vice provost will review curriculum and hiring processes for several university departments, including a Middle East Studies department that the Trump administration demanded be put into 'academic receivership.' The professors demonstrating on Monday, who said they were working on recruiting more people to the ranks of academic freedom activism, acknowledged that they could not operate at the speed of Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency and other Trump White House 'shock and awe' tactics. But they said they wanted to try. 'Institutions respond more slowly, and that's just the reality,' Professor Thaddeus said. 'We are going to respond vigorously, just on a time frame of weeks or months, not days.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk aims to hobble federal workers ahead of 'buyout' deadline
Elon Musk has declared war on the bureaucracy. And as a Thursday deadline nears for federal employees to take a "buyout," he is looking to demoralize and wear down his enemy. Across the government, officials in President Donald Trump's administration have fired off message after message pushing staff to accept the deferred resignation program, coaxing them with promises of paid vacations and threatening that there will be layoffs if they don't leave. At the same time, Musk has bullied them with online taunts. In an email to some federal employees Tuesday, obtained by POLITICO, a commissioner at a department overseen by Musk's allies warned of the impending pain if they don't leave. Josh Gruenbaum, who manages the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, said that 'we won't need staff in certain areas of the country' and 'will be cutting redundant business functions and associated staffing.' He said 'we're also considering how we can utilize AI in our portfolios.' Countless staffers in the government are now grappling with what to do. Some have accepted the deferred resignations. But as the deadline quickly approaches, others are growing defiant and vowing not to take the offer because they fear it won't be honored anyway, setting up the potential for mass layoffs and a protracted battle between the billionaire and bureaucracy. 'I don't think this offer is meaningful. I also don't think many people will take it,' said David Casserly, an employee at the Department of Labor, while stressing that he was speaking in a personal capacity. 'If you have to send us 10 emails that say this is totally not a scam, then it's probably a scam.' According to Trump allies, the intimidation campaign is deliberate as the president pursues an unprecedented purge of the federal workforce. 'They realized that you can kind of turn up the heat in a lot of these departments and people will leave, especially because the federal workforce is older,' said a former Trump official who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak freely. 'You have a glut of Boomers now and they're reaching retirement age. And if you can force them out of the door, you don't have to replace them, and it's one way to reduce the government.' A spokesperson for Musk's so-called Department of Government of Efficiency did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for GSA said that the department 'has been fully committed to providing our employees with all the information available so that they can make the best decision for themselves and their families.' The Trump White House has set a goal for 5 to 10 percent of federal employees to take deferred resignations, and Musk's super PAC, America PAC, estimated that the government could realize $100 billion in savings if it reached those numbers. But as of Wednesday, only 1 percent had opted into the plan. Musk and Trump officials have increasingly turned the screws on career employees as Thursday's deadline has neared. Musk boasted to his 216 million followers on his social media platform X that DOGE is 'the wood chipper for bureaucracy.' He accused Treasury employees of 'breaking the law every hour of every day,' attacked the U.S. Agency for International Development as a 'viper's nest of radical-left marxists who hate America,' and shared a post belittling government workers as dumb. Musk has also described his work to slash the government workforce in grandiose and existential terms. He said on X that Americans have 'one shot' to end the 'rule of the bureaucrats' and replace it with the 'rule of the people.' One GSA staffer said 'the confusion and fear is the point,' and that the messages they keep receiving from Trump officials are akin to pointing a 'gun at people' and then claiming 'this is a voluntary resignation.' A second federal employee said 'half my office was in tears' on a recent afternoon. Last week, government employees received emails stating that the deferred resignation offer is 'valid, lawful, and will be honored' and that they can travel to a 'dream destination' while on leave. Earlier this week, federal workers were also warned in messages that the offer expires at 11:59 p.m. Thursday and there 'will NOT be an extension of this program.' The Department of Education went so far as to send a message, which was shared with POLITICO, about the deferred resignation offer to the personal email address of a federal employee placed on leave. Musk's moves at DOGE mirror his purge at his social media company previously known as Twitter. He said he cut 80 percent of the staff there, and was sued by employees alleging that he did not pay them all of the severance that they were owed. A U.S. judge dismissed one such case, but others are working their way through the courts and arbitration. And now Musk's highly publicized history at Twitter is coming back to haunt him. Some federal employees and union leaders representing them said that they are not taking the offer because they don't trust it will be upheld. They also have dug in as they've felt smeared. 'The offer that we've been presented with is not something I see a lot of people taking,' said Sheria Smith, union president of Local 252 at the American Federation of Government Employees. 'It was really, really insulting, frankly. It insulted our work ethic and insulted our commitment to our jobs.' Smith said that of the 2,000 members she represents, fewer than 10 have asked the union questions about the offer. She added that she is 'aware of a handful of people who are taking it because they already had plans to leave the agency.'
Politico
06-02-2025
- Business
- Politico
Musk aims to hobble federal workers ahead of ‘buyout' deadline
Elon Musk has declared war on the bureaucracy. And as a Thursday deadline nears for federal employees to take a 'buyout,' he is looking to demoralize and wear down his enemy. Across the government, officials in President Donald Trump's administration have fired off message after message pushing staff to accept the deferred resignation program, coaxing them with promises of paid vacations and threatening that there will be layoffs if they don't leave. At the same time, Musk has bullied them with online taunts. In an email to some federal employees Tuesday, obtained by POLITICO, a commissioner at a department overseen by Musk's allies warned of the impending pain if they don't leave. Josh Gruenbaum, who manages the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, said that 'we won't need staff in certain areas of the country' and 'will be cutting redundant business functions and associated staffing.' He said 'we're also considering how we can utilize AI in our portfolios.' Countless staffers in the government are now grappling with what to do. Some have accepted the deferred resignations. But as the deadline quickly approaches, others are growing defiant and vowing not to take the offer because they fear it won't be honored anyway, setting up the potential for mass layoffs and a protracted battle between the billionaire and bureaucracy. 'I don't think this offer is meaningful. I also don't think many people will take it,' said David Casserly, an employee at the Department of Labor, while stressing that he was speaking in a personal capacity. 'If you have to send us 10 emails that say this is totally not a scam, then it's probably a scam.' According to Trump allies, the intimidation campaign is deliberate as the president pursues an unprecedented purge of the federal workforce. 'They realized that you can kind of turn up the heat in a lot of these departments and people will leave, especially because the federal workforce is older,' said a former Trump official who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak freely. 'You have a glut of Boomers now and they're reaching retirement age. And if you can force them out of the door, you don't have to replace them, and it's one way to reduce the government.' A spokesperson for Musk's so-called Department of Government of Efficiency did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for GSA said that the department 'has been fully committed to providing our employees with all the information available so that they can make the best decision for themselves and their families.' The Trump White House has set a goal for 5 to 10 percent of federal employees to take deferred resignations, and Musk's super PAC, America PAC, estimated that the government could realize $100 billion in savings if it reached those numbers. But as of Wednesday, only 1 percent had opted into the plan. Musk and Trump officials have increasingly turned the screws on career employees as Thursday's deadline has neared. Musk boasted to his 216 million followers on his social media platform X that DOGE is 'the wood chipper for bureaucracy.' He accused Treasury employees of 'breaking the law every hour of every day,' attacked the U.S. Agency for International Development as a 'viper's nest of radical-left marxists who hate America,' and shared a post belittling government workers as dumb. Musk has also described his work to slash the government workforce in grandiose and existential terms. He said on X that Americans have 'one shot' to end the 'rule of the bureaucrats' and replace it with the 'rule of the people.' One GSA staffer said 'the confusion and fear is the point,' and that the messages they keep receiving from Trump officials are akin to pointing a 'gun at people' and then claiming 'this is a voluntary resignation.' A second federal employee said 'half my office was in tears' on a recent afternoon. Last week, government employees received emails stating that the deferred resignation offer is 'valid, lawful, and will be honored' and that they can travel to a 'dream destination' while on leave. Earlier this week, federal workers were also warned in messages that the offer expires at 11:59 p.m. Thursday and there 'will NOT be an extension of this program.' The Department of Education went so far as to send a message, which was shared with POLITICO, about the deferred resignation offer to the personal email address of a federal employee placed on leave. Musk's moves at DOGE mirror his purge at his social media company previously known as Twitter. He said he cut 80 percent of the staff there, and was sued by employees alleging that he did not pay them all of the severance that they were owed. A U.S. judge dismissed one such case, but others are working their way through the courts and arbitration. And now Musk's highly publicized history at Twitter is coming back to haunt him. Some federal employees and union leaders representing them said that they are not taking the offer because they don't trust it will be upheld. They also have dug in as they've felt smeared. 'The offer that we've been presented with is not something I see a lot of people taking,' said Sheria Smith, union president of Local 252 at the American Federation of Government Employees. 'It was really, really insulting, frankly. It insulted our work ethic and insulted our commitment to our jobs.' Smith said that of the 2,000 members she represents, fewer than 10 have asked the union questions about the offer. She added that she is 'aware of a handful of people who are taking it because they already had plans to leave the agency.'
New York Times
04-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
General Services Administration Workers Warned of Impending Staff Cuts
Some employees at the General Services Administration were told Tuesday that the department would be cutting staff and reducing its footprint across the country, underscoring the Trump administration's determination to rapidly shrink the size of the federal work force. In an email, Josh Gruenbaum, a Trump appointee who currently helps oversee the G.S.A.'s Federal Acquisition Service, told employees that the organization would be 'cutting redundant business functions and associated staffing' and that the organization would not need workers in 'certain areas of the country.' He also noted that the Federal Acquisition Service, which aids other government agencies in dealing with office supplies, technology and travel needs, would consider utilizing artificial intelligence to reduce costs. His warning came as roughly 2 million federal workers around the country face a looming deadline Thursday to decide whether to accept an offer to resign but be paid through the end of September. Already, tens of thousands of federal workers have submitted their plans to leave, Trump administration officials said Tuesday. Union leaders have urged employees not to accept the offer, questioning its legality and legitimacy. Across the government, federal workers have been bracing for news of how the Trump administration's planned reductions will affect them as agency officials stressed their plans to cut costs. 'We'll be looking at operations in every portfolio to strengthen our business and comply with the directive from the president to reduce the federal work force,' Mr. Gruenbaum wrote in the email, which was seen by The New York Times. 'We can and must make tough decisions to create a leaner and more agile organization.' The G.S.A., which manages the federal government's property portfolio, has about 12,000 workers across the country. On Monday, The Times reported that G.S.A. leaders have discussed eliminating as much as 50 percent of the agency's budget. Mr. Gruenbaum, whose LinkedIn profile identifies him as a former director at private equity firm KKR, did not immediately return a request for comment. The G.S.A. did not respond to a request for comment. In recent days, the Office of Personnel Management, the agency overseeing the resignation program, has tried to reassure workers about the legitimacy of the offer. On Tuesday, the agency issued a new memo that said that separation agreements would be legally binding, and that concerns about the legality of the program were 'misplaced.' The agency has also circulated template contracts to federal agencies 'to assuage any concerns about enforceability.' On Tuesday, Mr. Gruenbaum encouraged recipients of the email to 'seriously consider the current offer' for deferred resignations from the Office of Personnel and Management.
