Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Funding Freeze

Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to challenge the government’s decision to suspend over $2 billion in funding to the institution, Al Jazeera reports.

The lawsuit alleges that the funding freeze is unlawful and exceeds the government’s authority.

Harvard President Alan Garber announced the legal action in a statement on Monday, citing the administration’s “illegal demands” that Harvard refused to comply with. The suit names several US government agencies, including the Education Department, Health Department, Justice Department, Energy Department, and General Services Administration.

The Trump administration has publicly defended its actions against universities as a response to perceived “anti-Semitism” and a need to reverse diversity programs. The administration contends that protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, which occurred on US college campuses last year, were permeated with anti-Semitism.

“The Government has not – and cannot – identify any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen that aims to save American lives, foster American success, preserve American security, and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation,” Harvard’s legal complaint states.

Harvard alleges the funding freeze is an attempt to punish the university for its perceived lack of action against anti-Semitism, while the government claims the protests demonstrate a failure to adequately address the issue.

During the protests, many US universities, including Harvard, took disciplinary action. Harvard placed 23 students on probation and denied degrees to 12 others, according to protest organizers.

While Harvard is challenging the administration’s actions, other institutions, such as Columbia University in New York City, have reportedly complied with less extensive demands from the Trump administration, which has asserted that the educational elite is too left-leaning.