WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that it is referring Harvard University for administrative suspension and debarment proceedings, a move that would exclude the school from entering into contracts with all government agencies or receiving any federal funding, including research grants and student aid.

If successful, the debarment attempt would cut off a key funding source for Harvard, a fresh financial blow after the Trump administration’s freeze of more than $2.6 billion in existing federal dollars. The university has 20 days to request a hearing in front of an administrative law judge at HHS to appeal the decision.

It’s the first time the Trump administration has threatened Harvard with a total suspension of federal funding, an escalation in its

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