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On Friday, President Donald Trump again threatened to revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status.

"We are going to be taking away Harvard's Tax Exempt Status. It's what they deserve!" Trump 

His comments marked the latest volley in a battle between the Trump administration and the wealthiest college in the world.

Trump first suggested revoking the school's nonprofit tax status in April, when he wrote on 

: "Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting 'Sickness?' "

The administration claims the university has failed to protect Jewish students on campus and had sent 

 it said must be met, or the university would risk losing some $9 billion in federal funding. Harvard's president

, saying they were illegal and an intolerable attempt to dictate "what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue." In response, the government 

Nearly all colleges and universities are tax-exempt organizations. They are given nonprofit status along with charities, religious institutions and some political organizations.

That's part of the reason some elite, U.S. institutions have been able to amass huge endowments. Harvard has the 

Republicans have long sought to curb the tax exemptions in higher education. In 2017, Congress 

passed a 1.4% tax on university endowments

, which impacted many of the nation's elite institutions. The president doesn't have the power to revoke an organization's tax status, but he can ask the Internal Revenue Service to do it.

, claiming the government's actions violate 

Politics and Government News

Homepage

Elissa Nadworny 

Author

Trump's comments on social media marked the latest volley in a battle between the administration and the wealthiest college in the world.

Trump again threatens Harvard's tax-exempt status, saying, 'It's what they deserve!'

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