Trump Administration Squares Off With Harvard In Court Over Federal Funding

The court battle between the Trump administration and Harvard University went before a federal judge in Boston on Monday as both parties seek a final ruling on the Ivy League school’s lawsuit over federal funding cuts.

Judge Allison D. Burroughs, who sided with Harvard in another case over the Trump administration’s attempt to block the university from enrolling foreign students, will likely signal on Monday where she stands on Harvard’s lawsuit against the Trump administration, The New York Times reported. Harvard sued the federal government in April after the Trump administration announced it would strip more than $2 billion in federal funding from the school, citing anti-Israel sentiment on the campus and its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

President Donald Trump has called Harvard “Anti-Semitic,” “Far-Left,” and “a threat to Democracy.”

“The place is a Liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE. It is truly horrific!” Trump added in April.

The federal antisemitism task force, established by the Trump Department of Justice earlier this year, demanded that Harvard submit to federal oversight and reform certain aspects of its admissions, hiring, and student discipline practices. Harvard refused to comply with the task force’s demands.

In its lawsuit, Harvard argues that the Trump administration is violating its First Amendment rights. Harvard also states that the funding freeze will harm essential scientific and medical research more than anything else.

“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” said Harvard’s President Alan M. Garber.

The court hearing comes as President Donald Trump continues to negotiate with the university. One month ago, Trump teased a “mindbogglingly HISTORIC” deal with Harvard that he said would be announced “over the next week or so.”

“They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,” Trump said in a June 20 Truth Social post.

Harvard has promised to address antisemitism on its campus, and the Trump administration said it remains “confident that Harvard will eventually come around and support the president’s vision, and through good-faith conversations and negotiations, a good deal is more than possible.” Ahead of Monday’s hearing, White House spokesman Harrison Fields told CNN, “The Trump Administration’s proposition is simple and commonsense: Don’t allow antisemitism and DEI to run your campus, don’t break the law, and protect the civil liberties of all students.”

As Trump pushes Harvard to make a deal, he has ramped up pressure on the school to hand over information on foreign students. Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security sent administrative subpoenas to Harvard, accusing it of “repeatedly” refusing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s “non-coercive requests to hand over the required information for its Student Visitor and Exchange Program certification.”