Harvard University sued the federal government on Monday over threats to cut taxpayer funding to the school.
The lawsuit is the latest escalation in a growing feud between the Trump administration and the university. The government has put increasing pressure on the school over pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protests that rocked the campus after the October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.
Last week, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard. The administration is reportedly considering freezing another $1 billion in funding after the college administrators released a letter of demands from the government that government officials considered private correspondence amid the negotiations.
“The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and long-lasting,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in an open letter announcing the lawsuit.
Garber said the funding cuts would jeopardize the university’s research projects on childhood cancer.
“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,” the lawsuit says.
The Trump administration is leaning on Harvard and other universities, mostly elite Ivy League schools, to reform and restructure their administration over anti-Semitic incidents that have broken out on the campuses in recent years. The government’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism has led the push to crack down on the universities.
Harvard, the oldest and wealthiest university in the United States, has made an aggressive push to counter the administration after Columbia University agreed to demands from the government in the hopes of getting its government funding restored. Harvard’s antagonistic stance has frustrated officials in the administration.
“Instead of grandstanding, Harvard should focus on rebuilding confidence among all students, particularly Jewish students,” a White House spokesman said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal on Monday. “The White House remains open to dialogue, but serious changes are needed at Harvard.”
The Trump administration has threatened to go beyond Harvard’s access to federal funds, warning that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may strip the university of access to foreign exchange students, as well. DHS has also demanded that the university turn over records on its foreign exchange students accused of “illegal and violent activities.”
Treasury Department officials are also reportedly considering revoking the university’s nonprofit status.
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