Harvard Sues Trump Admin, Escalating Fight Over Funding

Harvard University said it sued the US government for freezing billions of dollars in federal funding, ratcheting up a showdown with the Trump administration.

- Bloomberg

BOSTON:

The Trump administration unlawfully suspended Harvard's funding after it refused to comply with "illegal demands" to overhaul governance, discipline and hiring policies, as well as diversity programmes, university President Alan Garber said in a statement. The government has accused the nation's oldest—and richest—university of failing to combat antisemitism on campus.

"Over the course of the past week, the federal government has taken several actions following Harvard's refusal to comply with its illegal demands," Garber said. "We filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government's authority."

In his statement posted on the university's website, Garber cited the Trump administration's freeze of $2.2 billion in federal funding, threats to block an additional $1.1 billion in grants, a crackdown on foreign students, and the possible revocation of Harvard's tax-exempt status. The lawsuit, which Harvard said it filed in federal court in Massachusetts, wasn't immediately available through the online court system.