Harvard University is taking legal action against the Trump administration after it rebuffed a set of demands and had $2.2bn (£1.6bn) in government funding frozen.
This marks a significant challenge for the Trump administration as it targets what it deems as “inappropriate” ideologies on college campuses.
The prestigious Ivy League institution based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is accused of bias and permitting antisemitism during protests on campus last year against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Following a review of $9bn (£6.7bn) in federal grants to Harvard, the Trump administration requested the university to vet international students for those who may be “hostile to American values” and to cease all diversity, equality, and inclusion programs.
Protesters earlier this month at Harvard called on the university to resist interference by the federal government. Pic: Reuters
Students at a rally last week at Harvard against Donald Trump’s funding policies. Pic: AP
The university’s president Alan Garber has stood firm and rejected these demands and other changes, leading the US president to question Harvard’s tax-exempt status.
Trump accused the institution of promoting what he described as “political, ideological, and terror-supporting ‘Sickness?’” on Truth Social.
Recent student-led protests at Harvard have called for the university to resist government interference.
Harvard’s legal action, filed in Boston, labels the research funding freeze as “random and arbitrary” and a violation of its First Amendment rights.
“The government has not – and cannot – establish any logical link between concerns about antisemitism and the research it has halted, which is aimed at saving American lives, driving American success, securing American safety, and keeping America at the forefront of innovation,” according to court documents.
Harvard University has rejected a series of demands from the White House. File pic: AP
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields issued a defiant response to the lawsuit on Monday: “The era of federal aid to institutions like Harvard, which benefit their highly paid administrators with tax money from struggling American families, is ending.
“Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard does not meet the basic requirements to access that privilege.”
The Trump administration has also halted funding for universities like Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern, and Brown due to campus protests.
A small encampment in support of Palestinians at the Harvard campus in April 2024. Pic: Reuters
However, protesters, including some Jewish organizations, argue that their criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza is unfairly linked to antisemitism.
Mr. Garber stated that the university will continue to combat hate and adhere fully to anti-discrimination laws.
Trump’s actions towards colleges
Harvard’s resistance marks the primary obstacle for the Trump administration in its efforts to address what it views as liberal and antisemitic beliefs on college campuses.
During his campaign last year, Mr. Trump pledged to cut federal funding to schools promoting “critical race theory, transgender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political material”.
Of the seven universities affected by the administration’s measures, six are Ivy League schools.
Princeton University recently faced $4m (£3m) in reductions partly for endorsing what Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick termed as “climate anxiety” through a lab focusing on atmospheric and oceanic models.
The university joined three other institutions in suing the Department of Energy over the cuts.
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Over 100 university, college, and scholarly society presidents issued a collective statement on Tuesday condemning the Trump administration’s treatment of higher education institutions after Harvard voiced concerns about its independence being threatened.
The American Council on Education, a non-profit organization with over 1,600 member colleges and universities, backed Harvard’s legal action.
“It has been evident for weeks that the administration’s actions violated due process and the rule of law. We commend Harvard for taking this legal step.”