Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hi Interested Public,

Here we are, at the end of another eventful week. Harvard’s opposition to the Trump administration’s various policy demands matured into a lawsuit this week, while hundreds of university leaders “sp[oke] with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in an open statement. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice terminated hundreds of grants on a variety of topics, including legal services, a district judge blocked (again) the administration’s efforts to terminate CFPB employees en masse, and the Attorney General of New York announced a webinar to help nonprofits navigate “evolving issues in the sector” (registration link below). Finally, the Department of Education announced it will begin involuntary collections (wage garnishment) next month.

As always, these stories and more are in the links below. Solidarity,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• Student loan borrowers in default face garnished wages, Education Department says (CBS News; 21 Apr 2025)

  “Beginning May 5, the Education Department will begin involuntary collections through the Treasury Department's offset program, which claws back delinquent debts by withholding payments such as tax refunds, federal salaries and Social Security benefits.”

• Harvard sues Trump administration to stop a freeze of more than $2 billion in grants (NPR; 22 Apr 2025)

  “In its letter earlier this month, the administration told Harvard to impose tougher discipline on protesters and to screen international students for those who are "hostile to the American values." It also called for broad leadership reforms at the university, admissions policy changes and the end of college recognition for some student clubs. The government also demanded Harvard audit its faculty and student body to ensure wide viewpoints in every department and, if necessary, diversify by admitting additional students and hiring new faculty.” [Read Harvard’s complaint here.]

  • Trump administration appears open to negotiation with Harvard after university’s lawsuit sets up a monumental clash (CNN; 23 Apr 2025)

    “Last week, administration officials reached out to Harvard representatives three times in an effort to restart talks, a person familiar with the outreach told CNN. The nation’s oldest university indicated it was not interested in negotiating, the person said.”

• Facing the Challenges Ahead (Harvard Faculty of Arts & Sciences; 24 Apr 2025)

  “As we have seen over the last several days, standing up for our values and independence as an institution comes with significant sacrifices…In addition, we are pursuing immediate interventions to build additional financial capacity for the FAS. First, the FAS is pausing all non-essential capital projects and spending. Second, we will continue the staff and faculty hiring pause through the summer, at which point we will again reassess. And third, there will be no annual pay increases for exempt staff and faculty for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. These are difficult but necessary steps that aid our efforts to preserve resources, while investing in our academic mission and strategic priorities. We will also undertake a formal review of the FAS’s administrative operations and footprint…The Task Force on Workforce Planning will conduct a comprehensive analysis of staffing across the FAS and all its units, and will develop a set of recommendations for actions. These recommendations may include proposals for staff reorganizations and reductions.”

• Read the full letter from universities opposing ‘government intrusion’ (PBS; 24 Apr 2025)

  “Hundreds of college presidents and other officials have signed a letter protesting the “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” that higher education is facing under the Trump administration.”

Federal RIFs

• What Elon Musk Didn’t Budget For: Firing Workers Costs Money, Too (New York Times; 24 Apr 2025)

  “The Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization that studies the federal work force, has used budget figures to produce a rough estimate that firings, re-hirings, lost productivity and paid leave of thousands of workers will cost upward of $135 billion this fiscal year.”

• Civil rights groups sue to restore jobs at Homeland Security oversight offices that were gutted (Minnesota Star-Tribune; 24 Apr 2025)

  “Three advocacy groups are suing the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem, seeking to restore staff jobs at three gutted offices that oversee civil rights protections across the department's broad mission.”

• Trump upends DOJ's Civil Rights Division, sparking 'bloodbath' in senior ranks (NBC News; 23 Apr 2025)

  “The Trump administration has quietly transformed the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, forcing out a majority of career managers and implementing new priorities that current and former officials say abandon a decadeslong mission of enforcing laws that prohibit discrimination in hiring, housing and voting rights. More than a dozen senior lawyers — many with decades of experience working under presidents of both parties — have been reassigned, the current and former officials say. Some have resigned in frustration after they were moved to less desirable roles unrelated to their expertise, according to the sources.”

• Trump Administration appeals ruling that blocked CFPB firings (Ballard Spahr; 22 Apr 2025)

  “Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last week barred the CFPB from dramatically reducing its staffing, saying she is concerned that CFPB officials are ignoring her earlier order, as modified by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, that keeps the agency in existence until she rules on the merits of a lawsuit filed by the National Treasury Employees Union and others challenging plans to dismantle the agency.”

Federal Funding Cuts

• DOJ cancels grants for gun-violence and addiction prevention, victim advocacy (Washington Post; 25 Apr 2025)

  “The canceled awards were identified through a review process that determined they did not align with the Trump administration’s priorities, Maureen Henneberg, acting head of the Office of Justice Programs, told staff in an email obtained by The Washington Post.”

• ACLU Fights Trump in Court to Preserve Legal Aid for Border-Separated Families (KQED; 25 Apr 2025)

  “The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a motion in federal court to stop the Department of Justice from cutting off legal services for families who were forcibly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border during the first Trump administration.”

• 4-year-old migrant girl, other kids go to court in NYC with no lawyer: 'The cruelty is apparent' (Gothamist; 22 Apr 2025)

  “The Trump administration on March 21 terminated part of a $200 million contract that funds attorneys and other legal services for unaccompanied children. Those are children who arrive without parents or legal guardians — and typically instead come with aunts, uncles or older siblings, according to immigration attorneys. While the contract termination is being challenged in court, immigrant advocates say the impact is already being felt, as lawyer groups pull back on services – leaving some children on their own.”

Civil Society

• New York Nonprofits Race to Prepare for Trump Assault (The City; 21 Apr 2025)

  “Groups are on high alert as rumors fly about the administration possibly revoking their tax-exempt status or investigating them for illegal actions or noncompliance with executive orders. Attorney General Letitia James’ office is hosting a webinar next Monday to offer guidance and equip nonprofits ahead of any federal moves. So far, over 1,000 groups have signed up for the event.” [emphasis added]

  • Webinar: Helping nonprofits navigate evolving issues in the sector: Meeting the challenges of a changing landscape (NY OAG; 28 Apr 2025)

• House GOP targets NY nonprofit over Know Your Rights training (City & State NY; 24 Apr 2025)

  “Republicans in Congress are investigating the Chinese-American Planning Council for sponsoring a seminar to educate immigrants about their rights when dealing with ICE.”

Non-Federal Funding

• S.F. supervisors, nonprofits sound alarm on Mayor Lurie’s cuts to free civil legal aid (Mission Local; 24 Apr 2025)

• New legal fund launches to aid Richmond residents in crisis (Richmond Free Press; 24 Apr 2025)

Student Debt & Other Student Concerns

• 12 UC Berkeley students' visas restored by ICE in nationwide reversal (The Daily Californian; 24 Apr 2025)

  “Dozens of international students across the United States reported Thursday that their legal status — abruptly terminated by the federal government in recent weeks — had been quietly restored without warning or explanation…According to an organizer of F-1 Termination Watch, a group of international students, some affected by status changes, tracking student visa and SEVIS terminations across the country, the reinstatements have appeared “arbitrary.”…”

• Student loans in collections could significantly impact credit score, professor says (WTOC; 24 Apr 2025)

• What Massachusetts borrowers can do to get loans out of default (WCVB; 25 Apr 2025)

Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

• [Ed Note: I also refer readers out to NALP’s Weekly Industry News Digest, which has separate coverage of this topic]