Trump Administration Sued by Harvard in Federal Court Over Frozen Funds

Harvard University announced Monday that it is suing the Trump administration in federal court, seeking to block a freeze on more than $2.2 billion in research grants.

Context

The move follows Harvard's refusal to comply with a series of sweeping demands from the administration, which included limiting campus activism, altering admissions policies, and restructuring university governance. According to Harvard, the freeze came just hours after the university said it would not acquiesce to the government's orders.

What to Know

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump's administration sent a letter to Harvard outlining its demands, which included increased disciplinary actions against campus protesters, screening international students for "hostility to American values," and requiring audits to assess ideological diversity among faculty and students. The letter also called for broad leadership changes and the derecognition of some student clubs. Harvard President Alan Garber pushed back strongly, declaring that the university would not "bend to the government's demands."

In its 51-page complaint, filed in U.S. district court in Boston, Harvard accuses the Trump administration of retaliatory overreach, stating, "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 university also argued that the funding freeze would severely damage academic research efforts, writing, "Nor has the Government acknowledged the significant consequences that the indefinite freeze of billions of dollars in federal research funding will have on Harvard's research programs, the beneficiaries of that research, and the national interest in furthering American innovation and progress."

In an emailed response to Newsweek Monday night, White House spokesman Harrison Fields said, "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. Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access that privilege."

Following Harvard's refusal to comply, President Trump posted on Truth Social, questioning whether the university should retain its tax-exempt status "if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting 'Sickness?'"

The administration has also threatened to bar Harvard from enrolling international students, escalating tensions further.

Harvard frames the legal battle as a broader defense of academic freedom in the U.S., warning that the administration's demands threaten not only Harvard but the constitutional autonomy historically granted to American universities.

What People Are Saying

Garber told the Harvard community, "Today, we stand for the values that have made American higher education a beacon for the world. That is how we achieve academic excellence, safeguard open inquiry and freedom of speech, and conduct pioneering research—and how we advance the boundless exploration that propels our nation and its people into a better future."

Newsweek senior editor at-large wrote in a recent commentary, "Trump, in seeking to condition federal taxpayer grants to elite universities like Columbia and Harvard on the universities' bare-minimum compliance with the nation's civil rights laws, is taking the smallest step possible to recalibrate the discombobulated quid quo pro that has defined the taxpayer-university relationship for decades."

What Happens Next

The clash is putting serious strain on the traditionally cooperative relationship between the federal government and universities that rely on federal funding to drive scientific research and innovation. Once viewed as a vital investment in the public good, that funding has now become a powerful tool of leverage for the Trump administration.

Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Update: 4/21/25, 6:25 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.

Update: 4/21/25, 8 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks from the White House.