Boston. Harvard University announced on Monday that it has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration. The lawsuit has been filed by the administration to stop the university’s grant of more than US $ 2.2 billion.
This step was taken when the university refused to accept the demands of the Trump administration, which called for limiting activism on campus. The university called this funding freeze on social media platform ‘X’ “illegal” and “beyond the authority of the government”.
On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard demanding sweeping government and leadership reforms at the university and changes to its admissions policies. The administration also demanded that the university audit its approach to diversity on campus and stop recognizing certain student clubs. Following this, Harvard President Alan Garber said the university would not bow to these demands. In response, the government withheld billions of dollars in federal funding.
What did Harvard University say in court?
The lawsuit, filed in Boston Federal Court, said, “The government has not explained – and cannot explain – that there is any logical connection between anti-Semitic concerns and the medical, scientific, technological and other research it has blocked, which aims to save American lives, promote American success, maintain American security and maintain America’s global leadership position in innovation.” It further said, “The government has also not acknowledged what significant impact the indefinite suspension of billions of dollars in federal research funding will have on Harvard’s research programs, the beneficiaries of that research, and the national interest in advancing American innovation and progress.”
Harvard calls funding freeze ‘arbitrary and autocratic’
Calling the funding freeze “arbitrary and autocratic,” Harvard’s lawsuit said it violated its First Amendment rights and provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Hours after the statement, the White House responded strongly. “Federal support to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their highly paid bureaucrats with the tax dollars of struggling American families, is coming to an end. Taxpayers’ funds are a privilege, and Harvard has failed to meet the basic conditions necessary to earn that privilege,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in an email on Monday.
