Harvard University announced on Monday that it filed a lawsuit to stop a federal grant freeze of more than $2.2 billion after it said it would not abide by the Trump Administration’s demands for limiting campus activism.
In a letter sent to Harvard at the beginning of this month, President Trump called for sweeping reforms in the university’s government and leadership as well as a change to its admissions policy. The letter also asked that the university conduct an audit of views on diversity and cease to recognize some student clubs.
Alan Garber, the president of Harvard University, said that the university will not bow to government demands. The government then froze billions in federal funding.
The university’s lawsuit filed at the federal court in Boston stated, “The Government has not – and cannot – identify any rational link between antisemitism and the medical, science, technological, or other research they have frozen, which aims to save American life, foster American success and preserve American security and maintain America’s position as the global leader in innovations.”
The report added, “Nor has the Government acknowledged that the indefinite freezing of billions in federal funding for research will have significant consequences on Harvard’s programs of research, the beneficiaries and the national interest of furthering American innovation, progress and development.”
In a letter dated 11 April, the administration instructed Harvard to enforce stricter discipline against protesters as well as screen all international students to identify those “hostile to American values.”
The government also demanded broad leadership reforms, a change in admission policies, and the removal from college recognition of some student clubs. Harvard was also asked to audit its student and faculty body to ensure that there are diverse viewpoints within each department. If necessary, the government demanded that Harvard hire new faculty or admit more students.
Harvard refused to comply with the law, citing the First Amendment. Trump then took to his Truth Social page and questioned whether Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status if they continued to promote political, ideological, and terrorist-inspired/supporting sickness.
The Trump administration has also threatened to stop the university from accepting international students.
The university views the government’s demands not only as a threat to the Ivy League but also to the autonomy granted by the Supreme Court to American universities for many years.
Harvard is the first obstacle that the Trump administration faces in its efforts to change universities, which they claim have become hotbeds for antisemitism and liberalism.
The conflict strains the longstanding relationship that exists between the federal government, which provides federal funding to universities for the purpose of fostering scientific breakthroughs. This money, long seen as an investment in the greater good, has now become a powerful tool for the Trump Administration.
Garber, in a letter to Harvard’s community on Monday, wrote: “Today we stand for values that have made American education a beacon of the world.”
He wrote: “We believe that colleges and university across the nation can embrace their legal obligations, and fulfill their essential roles in society without inappropriate government interference.” This is the only way to achieve academic excellence, protect open inquiry, freedom of speech, and conduct groundbreaking research. It’s also how we can advance the boundless exploration that propels our country and its people towards a better tomorrow.
