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Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

arstechnica.com

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Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#21

Post by WalterGR »

_zagj wrote: post #19

Harvard currently has a $52 billion endowment on which it pays no tax: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/business/harvard-endowmen... Why are progressives not bothered more by this?

Because they know what an endowment is, how they're used, what a 501(c)(3) nonprofit is, and very generally the tax rules around such nonprofits.

I can provide links if you'd like to learn. I'm just on mobile right now and it's a pain.

It would help, though, if you could describe in what way people should be bothered.

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#22

Post by tptacek »

_zagj wrote: post #19

Harvard currently has a $52 billion endowment on which it pays no tax: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/business/harvard-endowmen... Why are progressives not bothered more by this?

They should use their endowment to mitigate this. People should be concerned about that. But (1) other schools aren't in that position, and (2) whether or not the Harvard admin makes the right calls, we either are or aren't funding cancer research; we should be angry at anybody compromising that.

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#23

Post by igor47 »

rpmisms wrote: post #9
tmpz22 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't worry we're increasing defense spending by 13% [1]. I suggest everyone read the linked source, its absolutely chilling. [1]: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal...

More chilling that the white house still uses WordPress.

That's really not more chilling. I recommend actually reading the document. There are multi billion dollar cuts to IT programs and CISA/cyber security infrastructure, along with massive cuts to basic research, EPA protections and toxic site cleanup, and basic social services, the list goes on. Instead we're plowing extra money into military spending, but because the defense budget is already so bloated it amounts to a small percentage increase there, and huge percentage decreases in everything else.

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#24

Post by FreebasingLLMs »

jmclnx wrote: post #4
modzu wrote: post #2

[flagged]

So true and we get a front row seat watching the US slide into obscurity and eventually the US Dollar no longer a reserve currency. When that happens eggs will cost $12,000 USD per dozen.

[dead]

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#25

Post by hello_moto »

_zagj wrote: post #19

Harvard currently has a $52 billion endowment on which it pays no tax: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/business/harvard-endowmen... Why are progressives not bothered more by this?

People have issues with Universities for many years regardless of the Presidents.

People have screamed that Universities tuition fees are too expensive for the RoI. It’s a separate bipartisan issue.

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#26

Post by southernplaces7 »

_zagj wrote: post #19

Harvard currently has a $52 billion endowment on which it pays no tax: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/business/harvard-endowmen... Why are progressives not bothered more by this?

That's absolutely worth a serious debate, but that endowment falls well within existing laws for how universities are allowed to accumulate and govern their finances.

You know what doesn't fall within the rubric of existing laws (or things that anyone who respect the rule of law and controlled government should be comfortable with)? Trump unilaterally using the federal agencies under his control to vengefully, punitively attack a major public institution just because he wants it to do whatever his latest personal tantrum has dictated.

His whimsical funding cuts are indeed illegal (1) and even if you agree with the government not funding certain institutions in certain ways, i'd call it a bad fucking idea to claim that the president should break his government's own federal laws to do so.

1 https://www.thefire.org/news/faq-responding-common-questions...

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#27

Post by runlaszlorun »

jmclnx wrote: post #4
modzu wrote: post #2

[flagged]

So true and we get a front row seat watching the US slide into obscurity and eventually the US Dollar no longer a reserve currency. When that happens eggs will cost $12,000 USD per dozen.

That's when I'll be launching my Eggs as a Service startup.

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#28

Post by Braxton1980 »

_zagj wrote: post #19

Harvard currently has a $52 billion endowment on which it pays no tax: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/business/harvard-endowmen... Why are progressives not bothered more by this?

Bothered by harvard having a tax free endowment or all universities ?

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#29

Post by _zagj »

WalterGR wrote: post #21
_zagj wrote: post #19

Harvard currently has a $52 billion endowment on which it pays no tax: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/business/harvard-endowmen... Why are progressives not bothered more by this?

Because they know what an endowment is, how they're used, what a 501(c)(3) nonprofit is, and very generally the tax rules around such nonprofits. I can provide links if you'd like to learn. I'm just on mobile right now and it's a pain. It would help, though, if you could describe in what way people should be bothered.

> what a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

In the case of Harvard and many other institutions, it's a tax-dodge, and nothing more. Same thing with non-profit hospitals whose administrators pay themselves seven-figure salaries.

Re: Federal agencies continue terminating all funding to Harvard

#30

Post by spinarrets »

_zagj wrote: post #19

Harvard currently has a $52 billion endowment on which it pays no tax: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/business/harvard-endowmen... Why are progressives not bothered more by this?

Who says progressives aren't bothered by this?

Every leftist I know believes that education should be free and universally accessible. That holding capital (especially with the intent to make more capital, which is what an endowment is) is morally wrong. And that we should tax wealthy people and corporations to fund things like healthcare and education.

Constructing a strawman like this (inventing a position that progressives do not hold) and then trying to point out the hippocracy in that position is classic logical fallacy territory.

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