Harvard University Sues Trump Administration
Harvard University filed a lawsuit Monday against President Donald Trump’s administration after the government froze billions of dollars in federal grants over what it had claimed was antisemitism at the university.
The university alleges in its lawsuit that the slashing of federal funding is to “gain control of academic decision-making at Harvard.”
Alan M. Garber, the university’s president, said in a statement that the government’s “overreach” will have “severe and long-lasting” consequences.
“Research that the government has put in jeopardy includes efforts to improve the prospects of children who survive cancer, to understand at the molecular level how cancer spreads throughout the body, to predict the spread of infectious disease outbreaks, and to ease the pain of soldiers wounded on the battlefield,” Garber said. “As opportunities to reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease are on the horizon, the government is slamming on the brakes. The victims will be future patients and their loved ones who will suffer the heartbreak of illnesses that might have been prevented or treated more effectively. Indiscriminately slashing medical, scientific, and technological research undermines the nation’s ability to save American lives, foster American success, and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation.”
In a statement, White House spokesman Harrison Fields described the funding as a “privilege.”
“The gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families is coming to an end,” he said. “Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access that privilege.”
On April 11, the Trump administration wrote Harvard a letter threatening to withhold federal grants if the university did not comply to 10 demands, which included ending all DEI programs, closing down departments that are critical of Israel, limiting the admissions of foreign students, banning certain student groups and more. Harvard said in a letter that it would not make a deal with the Trump administration.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” lawyers Robert Hur and William Burck wrote in the letter to the administration. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government. Accordingly, Harvard will not accept the government’s terms as an agreement in principle.”
Garber said in a statement at the time that the government’s conditions went “beyond the power of the federal government.”
The administration then froze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts.
“All told, 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,” the lawsuit reads.
The Trump administration has targeted Harvard and other universities over supposed antisemitism after pro-Palestine protests broke out at campuses across the country. Student activists have said they are being falsely accused of antisemitism and believe the administration is trying to silence students speaking up for Palestinians’ human rights.
Harvard said in the lawsuit that it is working on combating antisemitism, but just like any other university, it cannot “allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”
The university added that there is no “rational connection” between antisemitism concerns and withholding research funding that will benefit Americans and “maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation.”
Last month, Columbia University agreed to the administration’s demands after its funds were stripped.