Amid Criticism, Harvard Will Ask Education Dept. to Reallocate $8.6M Stimulus Aid

After criticism from President Donald Trump, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and others, Harvard University will ask the Department of Education to reallocate the $8.6 million it was slated to receive as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The university, which is the world's richest higher education institution, had previously said it would use the money to help students in financial need. Some sources focused on President Trump incorrectly insinuating that Harvard received the aid as part of the small business-oriented Paycheck Protection Program. Most left-rated outlets accentuated economic hardships for the education system amid the coronavirus pandemic; others, particularly right-rated sources, concentrated specifically on Harvard's $41 billion endowment and the similar wealth at other Ivy League schools, which were all slated to receive aid under CARES.