Harvard Sues Trump Admin Over Frozen Funding

Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday, due to a recent freeze of over $2 billion in federal funding. 

The Details: The lawsuit, which urges a block to the freeze, asserts that the Trump administration is unlawfully using billions in federal funding as “leverage to gain control of academic decision-making,” according to Harvard’s defense lawyers. The university claims that the decision to freeze funding violates the First Amendment and threatens essential scientific research. 

For Context: A probe into Harvard’s alleged antisemitism practices was enacted by the Trump administration in late March. The administration then sent Harvard a list of demands surrounding the reform of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, as well as protests and campus culture, in mid-April. The university declined, resulting in the frozen funding. Further funding cuts for the university are at stake, and the administration is reportedly planning to freeze an additional $1 billion in medical research. University President Alan M. Garber said the administration’s actions are “imposing viewpoint-based conditions on Harvard’s funding.”

How the Media Covered It: Newsweek (Center bias) gave voice to the defenses of both the Trump administration and the university. Washington Examiner (Lean Right) emphasized the university’s refusal to comply with demands to combat antisemitism. ABC News (Lean Left) highlighted the potential impact on life-saving medical research and did not include perspectives in defense of the Trump administration, but it did reportedly request a comment from the White House. 

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