Topline
Harvard University filed a lawsuit Monday to halt a funding freeze placed on the school by President Donald Trump and his administration—escalating the feud between Harvard and Trump’s administration over Harvard’s refusal to comply with demands sent by the government.
Water flows down the Charles River near Harvard University, in background.
Key Facts
Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement Monday evening the funding freeze is “unlawful and beyond the government’s authority.”
“The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and long-lasting,” Garber continued, noting the Trump administration’s actions and threats have “stark real-life consequences.”
The lawsuit alleges the government is “withholding …federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decisionmaking at Harvard,” and that its actions violate the First Amendment, which doesn’t allow the government to “interfere with private actors’ speech to advance its own vision of ideological balance.”
The lawsuit comes one week after the Education Department’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced a freeze on $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard, citing the school’s “troubling entitlement mindset” after leadership refused to agree to demands including for the college to make changes to its governance, admissions and hiring processes.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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Crucial Quote
“Before taking punitive action, the law requires that the federal government engage with us about the ways we are fighting and will continue to fight antisemitism,” Garber wrote Monday. “Instead, the government’s April 11 demands seek to control whom we hire and what we teach. Today, we stand for the values that have made American higher education a beacon for the world.”
Key Background
The Trump administration is investigating Harvard, along with about 60 other universities and colleges, for antisemitism allegations. The investigations have resulted in other top-tier schools losing millions of dollars in federal grants and contracts. The Trump administration sent Harvard a letter on April 11 accusing the school of failing “to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment.” The letter requested Harvard agree to make “meaningful governance” reforms, move to “merit-based hiring” and admissions systems, discontinue diversity, equity and inclusion programs and “ensure full transparency and cooperation with all federal regulators.” Harvard’s legal team responded to the letter by saying it was “committed to fighting antisemitism and other forms of bigotry in its community,” but the school was “not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.” Since Harvard refused to agree, the government has threatened to ban foreign students from enrolling in the university, and demanded Harvard disclose information about its foreign funding sources.
Tangent
In addition to freezing billions in funding for Harvard, Trump threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status with the IRS. Tax-exempt organizations can have their status revoked for reasons including political campaign activity, lobbying and failing to meet annual reporting obligations. In a post on Truth Social on April 15, Trump said Harvard should lose the status “if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’”
Further Reading
Trump Administration Freezes $2.2 Billion In Harvard Federal Funding After University Refuses To Comply With Demands (Forbes)
Trump Administration Demands Harvard Disclose Foreign Funding—Escalating Feud (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/04/21/harvard-sues-trump-administration-over-funding-freeze/