Harvard expands lawsuit against Trump administration after it freezes another $450 million in funding

Harvard University has expanded its lawsuit against the Administration of US President Donald Trump, which once again deprived the educational institution of part of its grant funding — this time in the amount of $450 million.

Reuters reports this.

The US government said Harvard had failed to address “racial discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment” allegedly thriving on campus, leading to the suspension of funding from eight federal agencies — a total of about $450 million.

In response, Harvard expanded the lawsuit it first filed on April 22 after the administration froze $2.2 billion.

The new complaint challenges a government decision, officially announced last week by Education Secretary Linda McMahon, that would withhold billions of dollars in research grants and other financial support until one of the nationʼs oldest and most financially secure universities meets demands previously made by the Trump administration.

Harvard responds that these requirements are too broad and restrict the freedom of expression enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The university also believes that the decision to terminate funding was made in violation of due process.

"The government has not identified — and cannot identify — any rational connection between the problems of anti-Semitism and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen or halted," the schoolʼs lawsuit states.

Harvard is asking US District Judge Allison Burroughs to declare the administrationʼs actions illegal and block the grant termination. She previously scheduled a hearing in the case for July 21.

What preceded

In March, the US government said it would review $9 billion in funding for Harvard over alleged anti-Semitism, which escalated after student protests against Palestinian rights. A Department of Education task force accused the university of abusing its position and “believing that federal funding does not obligate them to comply with civil rights laws”.

They demanded that activistsʼ influence be limited, that an independent commission be created to review faculties, that faculty and students be hired solely on merit, without regard to race, color, or nationality, and that violations by international students be reported.

Harvard University rejected the Trump administrationʼs demands and lost $2.2 billion in funding as a result. The university filed a lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Harvard said it is committed to combating anti-Semitism and has taken steps to make its campus safe and welcoming for Jewish and Israeli students. It said the administrationʼs actions pose a threat to academic freedom.

• In November 2023, more than 1 600 Jewish alumni stopped donating to Harvard University due to anti-Semitism at rallies in support of Palestine.
• In January 2024, Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned amid allegations of plagiarism and a lackluster response to anti-Semitism at the institution.
• That same month, several Jewish students filed a lawsuit against the institution, accusing it of tolerating harassment, assault, and intimidation of students of Jewish origin.

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