CBS News reported that on April 21, Harvard University said it had filed a lawsuit in court to accuse the Trump administration of intentionally freezing billions of dollars in federal funding.
Acting Principal Alan Garber said that the Trump administration froze an initial $2.2 billion grant and then threatened to suspend another $1 billion.
The root of the tensions between the two sides leading to the above lawsuit is believed to be Harvard's refusal to implement Trump's government's requests for policy changes and personnel, including checking the political views of students and lecturers to ensure "differentiation of views".
After the school resolutely maintained its stance, the Trump administration not only suspended a $2.2 billion grant but also proposed revoking Harvard's tax exemption rights.
In a letter to the Harvard community when announcing the lawsuit, Acting Principal Garber said that President Trump's actions would bring serious consequences, affecting not only the school's students, lecturers, and staff but also threatening patients, researchers, and the position of the American higher education system in the international arena.
The Harvard lawsuit states that the Trump administration violated the school's constitutional rights by blocking funding flows, and accuses the behavior as part of a pressure campaign to force Harvard to comply with government control over the curriculum.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has yet to respond to a request for comment from media outlets.
In the lawsuit, Harvard also accused the Trump administration of failing to comply with the mandatory legal process under Clause VI of Congress before suspending funding.
Article VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin for programs funded by the federal government.
According to CBS News, Harvard is not the only university under pressure from the current US government. Last month, the government threatened to cancel a $400 million grant to Columbia University on suspicion that the school was intentional in ignoring the harassment of Israeli students.
Cornell University and Northwestern are also facing a freeze on funding worth a total of $1.8 billion for similar reasons.
However, the conflict between Harvard and the Trump administration is considered much fiercer and more open than other schools. In addition to stopping funding, the Trump administration has threatened to block the school from enrolling international students.
