Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over $2.2B Funding Freeze
Harvard University is taking the Trump administration to court after a $2.2 billion freeze on its federal research funding, calling the move an attack on academic freedom. The university argues the funding cuts are punishment for rejecting demands to overhaul its diversity programs and admissions policies, and for resisting federal pressure during last year’s campus protests against the war in Gaza. In its lawsuit, Harvard accuses the government of using the funding as “leverage to gain control of academic decisionmaking” and warns the cuts will damage medical research and national innovation.
The Trump administration says the funding freeze is part of a broader effort to fight antisemitism and political bias on college campuses. “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,” a White House spokesperson said. The administration also threatened Harvard’s tax-exempt status and its ability to host international students unless the university agreed to sweeping reforms, including eliminating diversity initiatives and banning masks at protests.
The legal fight has drawn national attention, with more than 100 university presidents backing Harvard’s stance against what they call “unprecedented government overreach.” Harvard President Alan Garber warned the cuts could force the university to shrink its research programs and reduce graduate student admissions. “The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and long-lasting,” he wrote, adding that the funding freeze threatens not just Harvard’s future but America’s leadership in science and innovation.
