Harvard University has expanded its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s moves to cut off billions of dollars in federal funding.
The Ivy League school filed an amended complaint in federal court in Boston after officials announced the termination of an additional $450 million in grants. This decision comes on top of the $2.2 billion in funding that President Donald Trump’s administration had already terminated.
The Trump administration‘s moves to cut funding stem from allegations of antisemitism on Harvard’s campus. A federal antisemitism task force, comprising representatives from agencies like the U.S. departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice, accused Harvard of failing to confront “pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment plaguing its campus” This task force announced that eight government agencies would cancel additional grants.
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In response to the funding cuts, Harvard expanded a lawsuit it filed on April 22 after the administration froze the initial $2.2 billion. The revised complaint challenges a decision by the administration to freeze billions of dollars in future research grants and other aid until Harvard concedes to the administration’s demands. Harvard argues that these demands violate the free speech guarantees of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
The Trump administration has targeted Harvard, citing allegations of antisemitism on campus during pro-Palestinian protests sparked by Israel’s war in Gaza. Trump alleges that pro-Palestinian protesters are antisemitic and sympathetic to Hamas. However, protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly conflates criticism of Israel’s actions with antisemitism and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Harvard claims it is committed to combating antisemitism and has taken steps to ensure its campus is safe and welcoming to Jewish and Israeli students. The university argues that the administration’s actions threaten academic freedom and are unlawful. Harvard’s $53 billion endowment, the largest of any U.S. university, is often restricted and used for financial aid and scholarships.
Harvard’s lawsuit argues that the massive funding freeze is overly broad and was instituted without following proper procedures. “The Government has not identified – and cannot identify – any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen or terminated,” the lawsuit states. Harvard is asking U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs to declare the administration’s actions unlawful and block the grant terminations.
The federal court is scheduled to hold a hearing on the case on July 21. Harvard President Alan Garber has strongly defended the university’s stance, rejecting accusations of political bias and warning that government interference in university affairs could set a dangerous precedent.
