Cambridge leaders and local experts say a $2 billion federal funding freeze to Harvard could have broader impacts on the surrounding community. As the city prepares its budget for the next fiscal year, officials are anticipating the ripple effect of those cuts — and any additional reductions that could come later.
Cambridge City Councilor Patricia Nolan, chair of the finance committee, said the city is making contingency plans.
“We have to be very careful with our own funding because we will be a target just like Harvard,” Nolan said. “We’re a sanctuary city. We are the home of Harvard and MIT, which have been on the hot seat.”
She’s worried they’ll have to scale back on ambitions of expanding programs that serve residents.
Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang said it’s unclear how the federal government’s cuts to Harvard could affect the city’s finances.
“In terms of the impact of the pausing of grants and contracts, it is just too premature to address that at this time,” he said.
Paul Reville, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said while the exact implications of these cuts aren’t yet known, they may be far-reaching.
“There has to be a ripple effect,” Reville said. “When you’re talking about money in excess of $9 billion and much of it goes to support activities that are in this region ... it’s going to have an effect in Boston and Cambridge and in the entire surrounding greater Boston area.”
Dr. Anne Klibanski, president and chief executive officer at Mass General Brigham, stressed that although the hospital system is affiliated with Harvard, it operates separately.
“We remain focused on caring for the millions of patients we serve and supporting our clinical and research communities, as we work tirelessly to ensure preservation of Mass General Brigham’s four-part mission to advance patient care, teaching, research and community health,” she said.
Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons recognizes the potential challenges ahead, and applauded the university for standing up for its principles.
“Cambridge has always been a city that stands up for justice, for democracy, and for truth — and we will not back down now,” Simmons said. “We will not be bullied into silence or compliance, whether the threats come wrapped in the form of withheld funding or political retaliation.”
Huang, a Harvard alum, was also pleased to see his alma mater refuse to comply with the federal government’s demands.
“I’m proud of Harvard for standing up and demonstrating the importance of leadership in this moment when the federal administration is using all its powers to coerce and pressure institutions into political compliance,” he said.
Copyright 2025 WGBH Radio
This story was shared as part of the New England News Collaborative
