Harvard sues Trump administration over frozen federal funding

Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a post on X, "Moments ago, we filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority.”

The lawsuit was filed the day after it was reported that the Trump administration planned to cut another $1 billion in federal grants and contracts to the elite university, adding to the $2.2 billion freeze that was announced last week.

Harvard’s lawyers wrote in the Monday filing, "The tradeoff put to Harvard and other universities is clear: Allow the Government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions."

Harvard University accused the Trump administration of unlawfully freezing billions in research funding to pressure the school into restructuring its governance, academic programs, and hiring procedures, writing, "No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue."

The move comes days after the Trump administration asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status.

In the complaint, the Ivy League school claimed it is “committed to combating antisemitism, one of the most insidious forms of bigotry," but noted "there is still much work to do."

Despite Harvard’s claims, earlier this month, over 300 activists chanted for an end to the Jewish state outside the monthly Faculty of Arts and Sciences faculty meeting and handed leaflets with demands to professors entering the building. Antisemitism has plagued the campus since the Oct. 7, 2023 Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department’s antisemitism task force began a "comprehensive review" of the school's federal contracts and government-funded grants. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) canceled $2.7 million in agency grants to the school.

Trump said on Truth Social that Harvard had "lost its way" and didn't deserve federal funding, writing, "Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and ‘birdbrains’ who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders.' Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress.”

He called Harvard “a JOKE,” that teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds."

Last week, Harvard rejected the Trump administration’s demands to combat antisemitism, knowing it was risking the loss of federal funding. Demands included eliminating DEI, making leadership changes, reforms to hiring and admission practices, auditing departments for antisemitism, and making reforms to student discipline and how student groups can operate. Additionally, the school was required to submit a report to the federal government every quarter until 2028 on its progress.

The White House has suspended federal funding to every Ivy League institution, aside from Penn and Dartmouth, over investigations into antisemitism. Columbia University has lost over $400 million in federal funding. The administration has also worked to detain and deport foreign students who participated in or organized antisemitic protests on campuses across the US.