Harvard sues Trump administration over funding freeze
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The main gate to Harvard yard on April 15 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty Images
Harvard filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, arguing that government overreach violated the university's constitutional rights.
The big picture: The Ivy League institution has rejected a litany of demands from the administration, resulting in a freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funds.
- The suit marks an escalation in the administration's battle with elite institutions as it tries to influence and reorient their priorities through federal funds.
Driving the news: Harvard President Alan Garber said in a message to the campus community Monday that the "consequences of the government's overreach will be severe and long-lasting" and accused the administration of trying to impose "unprecedented and improper control."
- He said that while there are valid concerns about rising antisemitism, the law requires the government to engage with the university about the ways it is fighting that antisemitism.
- "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," states the complaint, filed in Massachusetts federal court.
- Harvard has "reasonable fear" that the administration will terminate or freeze additional federal funding, the filing states.
Zoom in: While the Trump administration's demands of the university revolved around institutional policies, the funding freezes and cuts largely threaten scientific research.
- Garber's message said the administration's actions will have stark consequences for integral research that impacts the prospects of children who survive cancer, the spread of infectious disease outbreaks, and the pain management of soldiers wounded on the battlefield.
- The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Zoom out: The Trump administration has engaged in a broader campaign against elite higher education institutions over recent weeks.
- Columbia ceded control of an academic department and expanded campus police powers in an attempt to unfreeze federal funding. The University of Michigan shut down its expansive diversity, equity and inclusion program.
- But support for Harvard in its resistance to the Trump administration is growing at other universities.
- Several universities have joined a lawsuit challenging cuts to indirect costs or academic research. These include Cornell, Brown, MIT and Michigan.
Go deeper: Trump's pressure campaign against universities hits a Harvard-sized snag
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
