Harvard sues Trump administration to access funding

The university on Monday sued the administration in federal court, accusing officials of trying to punish the school for protecting its constitutional rights. The administration earlier this month froze more than $2 billion in grants and $60 million in multiyear contracts allocated to the nation’s oldest university. University leaders filed the complaint after reports that the administration planned to cut an additional $1 billion in federal grants to Harvard, according to university president Alan M. Garber.

The consequences of the government’s funding cuts will be long-lasting, Garber said, and could hinder research into diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis. The Trump administration has demanded the university implement institutional reforms to maintain access to grant money. Harvard has failed to meet the conditions required to access taxpayer funds, White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in a statement to The New York Times.

How did we get here? Federal officials froze $2 billion after the university rejected calls to address alleged anti-Semitism on campus. The Education Department also demanded the school discontinue diversity, equity, and inclusion programs while implementing merit-based hiring and admissions policies. It also urged the institutions to strengthen student discipline policies. While the requested changes are largely focused on administrative policies, the Trump administration has primarily targeted funding for scientific research.

Have other universities received similar pressure? The Department of Education last month sent letters to 60 institutions urging them to protect Jewish students on campus. Princeton, Cornell, Northwestern University, and other Ivy League schools have also had funds frozen or suspended.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report about a lawsuit brought by Jewish students who accused Harvard of fostering anti-Semitism.