‘Beyond govt’s legal…’: Harvard University sues Trump administration over USD 2.2 billion funding freeze

Harvard University has taken legal action against the administration of US President Donald Trump, challenging the decision to freeze more than USD 2 billion in federal funding. Harvard’s President, Alan Garber, said in a statement on Monday that the federal government had made several moves after Harvard declined to follow what he called “unlawful” demands. “We have just filed a lawsuit to stop the funding freeze because it goes beyond the government’s legal powers,” Garber stated.

Harvard’s lawsuit names multiple U.S. government departments, including the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Justice, Department of Energy, and the General Services Administration.

The Trump administration has not yet responded to the lawsuit. However, Trump and his team have previously claimed that their actions against universities are in response to what they describe as widespread anti-Semitism and efforts to roll back diversity initiatives meant to support historically marginalized communities.

The Trump administration has said that the protests on US college campuses last year, which opposed Israel’s war in Gaza, were filled with anti-Semitic behavior.

In response, Harvard’s lawsuit argued that the government has no valid reason to link concerns about anti-Semitism to the freezing of funding for important research in medicine, science, and technology — research that helps save lives, supports national security, and keeps the U.S. at the forefront of innovation.

During the protests, Harvard and other universities took disciplinary action. Harvard reportedly put 23 students on probation and blocked 12 others from graduating, according to protest organizers.

Meanwhile, some schools like Columbia University took smaller steps to meet the Trump administration’s demands. The administration has often accused top universities of being too left-leaning.

Tyler Coward, a lawyer from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — a group that defends free speech — supported Harvard’s lawsuit. He said Harvard was right to push back against what he called a misuse of federal power that could threaten the independence and core mission of higher education.

Coward warned that using funding as a way to enforce political beliefs sets a troubling example for the future.

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