Harvard University is suing the Trump administration over a $2.2 billion funding freeze on research grants. The university claims that the freeze is an attempt to punish Harvard for protecting its constitutional rights and is a violation of the First Amendment.
Harvard sued the Trump administration in federal court on Monday over its multibillion dollar cuts to the University’s research funding, accusing the White House of undertaking an arbitrary and unconstitutional campaign to “punish Harvard for protecting its constitutional rights.”
The move comes just one day after the Trump administration reportedly planned to cut another $1 billion in federal grants and contracts from Harvard, on top of an existing $2.2 billion cut that was announced last week.
The Trump administration had demanded that Harvard comply with certain conditions, including:
Governance Changes by restructuring its governance and academic programs, also hiring and Admissions by screening international students for their beliefs and installing administrators to ensure compliance. and Viewpoint Diversity by conducting audits to ensure viewpoint diversity among students, faculty, and staff.
Harvard University President Alan Garber argues that these demands are intrusive and would impose “unprecedented and improper control” over the university. The lawsuit seeks to halt the funding freeze and declare it unlawful. The university believes that the government’s actions are an overreach and would jeopardize critical research being conducted on various projects, including cancer, infectious disease, and battlefield injuries.
This is not the first time Harvard has taken the Trump administration to court. In 2021, the university successfully sued over a Covid-era policy barring international students from retaining their visas if they enrolled in virtual classes. In 2021, former President Lawrence S. Bacow successfully sued the Trump administration over its Covid-era policy barring international students from retaining their visas if they enrolled in virtual classes.
Compiled by David Agwu-Okoro
