The dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard centers primarily on the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, commonly known as DEI programs. These institutional policies have become a focal point of disagreement between federal authorities and university leadership.

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order banning federal funding for “gain of function” research on pathogens in some foreign laboratories, the latest signal that the White House and leaders of health agencies have fully embraced the conjecture that the coronavirus pandemic began with a lab leak in China.

Harvard University is dedicating $250 million of its own funds to support researchers after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration froze nearly $3 billion in federal grants and contracts in recent weeks,