India, June 11 -- Education Secretary Linda McMahon said on Tuesday that Harvard and other universities could get back some of the federal funding cut by the Trump administration if they changed their policies.

"It would be my goal that if colleges and universities are abiding by the laws of the United States and doing what we expect of them, that they can expect taxpayer funded programs," the secretary said at a Bloomberg News event.

McMahon said that the Trump administration was "making progress in some of the discussions" with Harvard, despite the ongoing legal battles.

The secretary emphasised that the federal funding has a role to play in academic research at the universities.

"I think if we look at our research as for the public...