CAMBRIDGE, MASS. April 22 — Harvard University filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration, challenging the freeze of $2.3 billion in federal funding after the institution rejected a series of government demands it claims would compromise academic independence.
Filed in Boston, the lawsuit accuses the administration of using funding as leverage to control hiring, curriculum, and campus policies. Harvard says the freeze—part of a broader crackdown targeting elite universities—violates its First Amendment rights and is both arbitrary and unlawful.
Trump penalizes universities over their pro-Palestinian protests, which he has linked to alleged antisemitism. Critics, including Jewish student groups, argue the administration is mislabeling protests against Israel’s war on Gaza as antisemitism.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields defended the funding cut, saying, “The gravy train of federal assistance is coming to an end.”
The administration has threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status, block foreign student admissions, and demanded a ban on masks and the elimination of diversity programs.
Harvard is the first university to sue over the measures, though faculty at both Harvard and Columbia have filed separate lawsuits.
University President Alan Garber said the government’s approach is “not about fighting hate, but controlling whom we hire and teach.”
Several other top institutions—including Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, and Northwestern—have also seen funding paused amid federal scrutiny.
Over 3,100 students were arrested during pro-Palestinian protests across more than 60 U.S. universities between April and June 2024, as authorities cracked down on student-led demonstrations demanding divestment from Israel-linked companies amid the Gaza war.