As Harvard University reportedly considers spending up to $500 million to settle a dispute with the Trump administration, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark suggested Tuesday that the elite institution may be justified in making concessions, despite her broader concerns about how powerful entities are responding to President Donald Trump.
The Democratic whip and representative for Massachusetts’ 5th congressional district said on Boston Public Radio Tuesday that she’s troubled by the trend of major institutions “bending the knee” to the Trump administration but “there’s a whole consideration” when it comes to Harvard.
When asked whether any institution should ever agree to a deal with Trump, Clark replied, “Certainly in an ideal world, I wouldn’t. But I also want Harvard and other institutions to continue the research they’re doing, not to lose every single lab to somewhere else.”
Funding cuts to Harvard would jeopardize vital research into cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other life-threatening conditions. Clark emphasized that the stakes are particularly high in Massachusetts, where research universities form the backbone of both scientific advancement and the state’s economy.
“People don’t move here for our low cost of housing or our phenomenal weather,” she said. “They move here because we are the best in the world at taking research out of the lab and putting it into the marketplace.”
Clark argued that if the public wants institutions to stand firm against the Trump administration’s demands, then they must also be supported financially and politically in doing so.
