Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the administration of former President Donald Trump in response to threats to cut billions of dollars in federal research grants.
The legal action follows escalating tensions between the Trump administration and American universities, as the former president intensifies his efforts to eliminate what he calls left-wing agendas and antisemitism on college campuses.
The conflict heightened earlier this month when the Trump administration sent Harvard a set of strict demands. These included mandates that the university report international students accused of misconduct to federal authorities, audit faculty members for plagiarism, and appoint an external overseer to ensure ideological diversity within academic departments. Harvard was also warned that non-compliance could lead to the loss of up to $1 billion in research funding and the cancellation of student visas for its international population.
Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, strongly criticized the administration’s demands, accusing the government of attempting to exert “unprecedented and improper control” over the university. He warned that such actions could have “severe and long-lasting” consequences.
In its lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Massachusetts, Harvard accused the administration of launching a broad attack aimed at controlling academic decision-making. The university also referenced similar threats and funding cuts directed at other institutions.
Several officials from the Trump administration were named in the lawsuit, including the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Education, the acting head of the General Services Administration, and the Attorney General.
