Harvard sued the federal government Monday for freezing $2.8 billion of the college’s federal aid. The suit is the latest salvo in an escalating skirmish between the once-venerated college and the Trump administration.
The government’s Joint Task Force Combatting Antisemitism, which includes the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Departments of Education (DOE) and Health and Human Services (HHS), launched an investigation into antisemitism on Harvard’s campus earlier this month.
In its notice of investigation, the task force outlined preemptive policy changes Harvard could make to avoid losing up to $8.9 billion in federal aid.
The task force froze $2.8 billion of these federal contracts and grants on April 14, following a tense exchange with Harvard’s lawyers.
Three days earlier, the task force had amended the requirements Harvard must meet to “maintain its financial relationship with the federal government.” The more detailed and stringent list requires the college, in part, to:
Comply with annual, federally-supervised audits through 2028 of its commitment to eradicate antisemitism and “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” policies, establish viewpoint diversity among faculty and pursue merit-based hiring and admissions.
Reform its international program to stop admitting students “hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence.”
Review all existing and prospective faculty members for having committed plagiarism.
Stop recognizing and funding “student groups or clubs that engaged in antisemitic activity since October 7th, 2023,” including Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee, Harvard Graduate Students 4 Palestine, Law Students for Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine and the National Lawyers Guild.
Adopt a new policy forbidding clubs from “promoting criminal activity, illegal violence or illegal harassment,” inviting disruptive people onto campus, or acting as a front for other banned clubs.
Implement a mask ban and punish violators with nothing less than a suspension.
In its testy response, Harvard assured the task force it had made “lasting and robust structural, policy and programmatic changes” to address antisemitism before accusing the government of infringing on its First Amendment rights.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” the letter concluded. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”
Just hours after sending this letter, Harvard lost $2.8 billion.
The 51-page lawsuit, filed Monday in the Massachusetts District Court, advances a somewhat baffling case: That the federal government cannot limit or change the amount of money it send to Harvard.
The college makes two primary arguments, the first being the task force’s requirements are arbitrary and “viewpoint-based.” The First Amendment prevents the government from restricting Harvard’s funding solely because Harvard does not share the government’s beliefs about diversity and merit, the suit argues.
Harvard’s second argument is that the government hasn’t followed the appropriate legal process to revoke funding for alleged civil rights violations, as enumerated in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The filing requests the judge not only stop the funding freeze but stop the government from issuing further funding freezes based on the same demands.
“The tradeoff to Harvard and other Universities is clear: Allow the Government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries and innovative solutions,” the case concludes.
The White House will respond to the suit in court, according to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“The President has made it quite clear that it is Harvard who has put itself in the position to lose its own funding by not obeying federal law,” she told reporters Tuesday. “He’s not going to tolerate illegal harassment and violence towards Jewish American students, or students of any faith on our campuses.”
Her advice to colleges?
“It’s quite simple — if you want federal dollars, obey federal law.”
Monday’s lawsuit has overshadowed two other important developments in the task force’s case against Harvard.
On April 17, the DOE asked the college to turn over financial records related to foreign students and donations after “a review … revealed incomplete and inaccurate disclosures.”
Colleges and universities must disclose gifts from foreign entities and governments exceeding $250,000. An October 2020 investigation found “widespread [foreign aid] reporting failures” among colleges to the tune of $6.5 billion.
“The records request is the Trump administration’s first step to ensure Harvard is not being manipulated by, or doing the bidding of, foreign entities,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said of the records request.
On April 19, HHS asked Harvard to send a conspicuously absent report on campus antisemitism.
Harvard Presidential Task Force on Combatting Antisemitism was supposed to release a comprehensive report on the school’s handling of campus antisemitism last fall. Three months into the spring semester, and the report is nowhere to be found.
The Free Press, which acquired the document over the weekend, cites an anonymous source claiming “some members of the Trump administration suspect Harvard may have edited the reports to diminish its finding after the start of the government’s antisemitism task force review began in February 2025.”
Taxpayer money should not be spent on institutions like Harvard, which has spent nearly two years passively observing the torment of Jewish students on its campus. This lawsuit could allow the college to cling to federal money it doesn’t deserve — and become a blueprint for other schools seeking to escape accountability.
Additional Articles and Resources
Harvard Antisemitism Could Cost It $8.9 Billion, Feds Say
Feds Yank $400 Million from Columbia University Following Continued Antisemitism
Antisemitism at Columbia Alive and Well
New York Drops Charges Against Pro-Hamas Protesters Who Stormed Hamilton Hall
INVESTIGATION: Who funds anti-Israel protests?
Jewish Students Urged to Flee Columbia University Following Antisemitic Protest
Antisemitism — What It Is and Its Connection to the Israel-Hamas War
Israel is Under Attack—Here’s Why Christians Should Support Its Defense
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