Harvard sues Trump to halt $2B grant freeze

BOSTON — On Monday, Harvard University announced it has taken legal action to challenge a federal halt on more than $2.2 billion in research grants, following the institution’s refusal to adhere to demands from the Trump administration aiming to curb activism on its campus.

In a communiqué dated April 11, the administration urged Harvard to undergo comprehensive reform in governance and leadership, revamp its admissions processes, and review diversity perspectives on campus. It also requested that the university refrain from acknowledging certain student organizations. This came after accusations from the administration that universities permitted antisemitic sentiments in campus protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza the previous year.

Alan Garber, Harvard’s President, asserted that the university will not conform to these demands. Subsequently, the federal government imposed a freeze on billions of dollars intended for funding.

According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston, “The Government has not — and cannot — find any reasonable correlation between concerns about antisemitism and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has halted, which is aimed at saving lives, promoting success, ensuring national security, and sustaining America’s position as a leader in global innovation.”

The lawsuit further highlighted the massive impact the indefinite freezing of federal research funds will have, not just on Harvard’s research endeavors but also on the beneficiaries of these initiatives, and cautioned about the potential setbacks to national progress and innovation.

Criticizing the freeze as “arbitrary and capricious,” Harvard claimed it infringed upon its First Amendment rights as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The university stressed the threat it poses to the autonomy historically safeguarded for American educational institutions.

The White House responded assertively within hours. “The era of easy access to federal funds for institutions like Harvard, which inflate the salaries of their bureaucrats using taxes from hard-working American families, is over,” remarked White House spokesman Harrison Fields on Monday. “Receiving taxpayer money is a privilege, and Harvard does not meet the fundamental prerequisites to enjoy that privilege.”

The Trump administration views Harvard as pivotal in its broader agenda to instigate change within universities, which the Republican side perceives as nurseries for liberal ideologies and antisemitism. Targeting research funding, which significantly contributed to scientific advancements, becomes a strategic leverage point.

Earlier, the administration directed Harvard to enforce stricter measures on protestors and scrutinize international students to flag those opposing American values. Recommendations also included leadership restructures, adjustments in admission criteria, and cessation of recognition for specific student organizations. There was also a demand for a university-wide audit to ensure a diversity of perspectives, with proposals for increasing student enrollment and hiring of diverse faculty, if necessary.

Last Monday, Harvard firmly refused compliance, citing infringement upon the First Amendment. The following day, President Trump questioned the university’s tax-exempt status on social media if it continues to “champion political, ideological, and terror-linked agendas.”
This lawsuit follows the one filed earlier this month by the American Association of University Professors seeking judicial intervention to dismiss the ongoing review and analysis of Harvard’s funding.

Garber communicated to the Harvard community, affirming, “We represent the enduring values that establish American higher education as a global standard. We maintain that academic institutions can respect legal obligations and fulfill their societal function without undue governmental encroachment.”

Anurima Bhargava, an alumna supporting a firmer stand against the administration’s actions, endorsed the lawsuit filing. “The Trump administration’s continuous, reckless, and illegal pursuit to dominate and control Harvard by cutting off essential research funds is inadmissible,” she remarked. “Today, Harvard rightly rejected the escalating and perilous demands of the administration.”

The American Council on Education, encompassing over 1,600 colleges and universities nationwide, commended Harvard’s stance. “It has been evident for a while that the administration’s actions undermine due process and legal norms. We commend Harvard for taking this initiative and anticipate the court’s decisive repudiation of such undermining efforts,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the council.