Harvard Sues Trump Over $2.2B Grant Freeze Amid Campus Free Speech Clash
By Staff, Agencies
Harvard University has filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the Trump administration’s decision to freeze over $2.2 billion in research grants, a move made after the university refused to comply with sweeping government demands related to campus activism and policy changes.
The freeze came just hours after Harvard President Alan Garber rejected the administration’s April 11 directive, which called for reforms to leadership and admissions policies, tighter restrictions on student protests, and audits of campus diversity and club recognition.
The administration claims these measures are necessary in response to what it describes as unchecked antisemitism on university campuses, citing protests last year against "Israel's" war in Gaza.
Harvard's lawsuit, filed in a Boston federal court, denounces the funding freeze as “arbitrary and capricious,” arguing that it violates the university's First Amendment rights and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The complaint states that there is no reasonable link between antisemitism concerns and the suspension of funding for critical research in medicine, science, and technology that benefits the public and the nation.
"The Government has not — and cannot — identify any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen," the lawsuit states, warning of serious consequences for both the university’s research and the broader national interest.
In response, the White House issued a sharp statement: “The gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard... is coming to an end,” said spokesperson Harrison Fields, accusing the university of failing to meet the basic conditions for taxpayer support.
The Trump administration’s broader push targets elite universities it accuses of fostering liberal ideologies and tolerating anti-"Israeli" sentiment. It has proposed measures such as disciplinary crackdowns on protesters, ideological vetting of international students, and forced diversification of faculty and student bodies.
Harvard has refused to comply, asserting its constitutional rights and academic independence. In a letter to the Harvard community, Garber wrote, “We stand for the truth that colleges and universities... can best fulfill their essential role in society without improper government intrusion.”
The lawsuit follows a similar legal challenge from the American Association of University Professors and has drawn support from higher education advocates. Anurima Bhargava, a Harvard alumna, commended the move, calling the administration’s actions “reckless and unlawful,” while the American Council on Education said the government had violated due process and urged the courts to defend academic freedom.
The case is now seen as a major test of the Trump administration’s campaign to reshape American higher education through financial pressure, with Harvard emerging as its first significant opponent.
