Harvard University has sued US President Donald Trump’s administration to halt the government’s pause of more than $2bn in funding for the US educational institution.
“Over the course of the past week, the federal government has taken several actions following Harvard’s refusal to comply with its illegal demands,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement on Monday.
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“Moments ago, we filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority,” Garber said.
Among the United States government agencies mentioned in Harvard’s lawsuit were the Education Department, the Health Department, the Justice Department, the Energy Department and the General Services Administration.
The Trump administration had no immediate comment.
But Trump and his White House team have publicly justified their campaign against universities as a reaction to what they say is uncontrolled “anti-Semitism” and a need to reverse diversity programmes aimed at addressing the historical oppresion of minorities.
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The administration claims protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that swept across US college campuses last year were rife with anti-Semitism.
“The Government has not – and cannot – identify any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen that aims to save American lives, foster American success, preserve American security, and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation,” Harvard’s legal complaint read.
Many US universities, including Harvard, cracked down on the protests over the allegations at the time, with the Cambridge-based institution placing 23 students on probation and denying degrees to 12 others, according to protest organisers.
Other institutions, including Columbia University in New York City, have bowed to less far-ranging demands from the Trump administration, which claims that the educational elite is too left wing.
Tyler Coward, the lead counsel for government affairs with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan First Amendment group, praised Harvard for “taking a principled stand against federal overreach that threatens the core values of higher education”.
“The Trump administration’s attempt to bypass federal civil rights law and impose sweeping ideological mandates through financial coercion sets a dangerous precedent,” Coward said.
“Colleges must comply with civil rights laws to receive federal funding. Enforcement of those laws must be lawful, transparent, and respect constitutional rights.”
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