Harvard challenges Trump administration in court over cancelled research funding

BOSTON: Harvard University on Monday (Jul 21) urged a federal judge to order US President Donald Trump’s administration to restore about US$2.5 billion in cancelled research grants and stop efforts to cut off additional federal funding to the Ivy League institution.

The court hearing before US District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston stretched more than two hours but ended without a ruling. The case marks a high-stakes flashpoint in the administration’s broader push to reshape US higher education through funding leverage.

DOJ DEFENDS FUNDING CANCELLATION

Michael Velchik, a senior lawyer for the US Justice Department, argued the cancelled grants reflected a government priority to stop supporting institutions that "tolerate antisemitism".

“Harvard prioritised campus protestors over cancer research,” Velchik said, while asserting the matter should be handled by the US Court of Federal Claims, which hears monetary disputes.

The administration said Harvard’s rejection of an April list of demands triggered a wave of cancellations, including the suspension of hundreds of research grants. It accused the university of failing to adequately respond to reports of antisemitic harassment on campus.

RESEARCH AT RISK

Harvard, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says the funding cuts threaten hundreds of research projects, including those focused on cancer, infectious diseases and Parkinson’s.

Steven Lehotsky, a lawyer representing Harvard, said the administration was using antisemitism as a pretext for broader ideological retaliation.

"The administration has given no consideration to patients, the public at large, and the harm of all this research being cut off," Lehotsky told the court.

JUDGE QUESTIONS LEGAL BASIS

Judge Burroughs expressed scepticism over the government’s assertion that it could cancel grants on broad policy grounds without a formal process.

"That's a major stumbling block for me," she said, adding that if funding could be cut over issues related to speech, the constitutional consequences would be “staggering”.

Burroughs, an Obama appointee, has already barred the administration from ending Harvard’s ability to host international students in a separate case. She is expected to issue a written ruling in the funding case in the coming weeks.

GOVERNANCE DEMANDS SPARKED CONFLICT

The administration’s push to defund Harvard followed its refusal to comply with demands issued in an Apr 11 letter by a White House task force. The letter called for sweeping changes including governance restructuring, revised admissions and hiring practices to ensure ideological diversity, and the termination of select academic programmes.

Harvard has said the demands overstepped legitimate concerns about antisemitism and aimed instead to control academic speech, in violation of First Amendment protections.

University President Alan Garber said the cuts could cost the school nearly US$1 billion annually, forcing layoffs and hiring freezes. The amount includes the cancelled multi-year federal research grants.

TAX PENALTIES ADDED TO PRESSURE

As part of Trump’s spending and tax legislation, the Republican-led Congress also raised the federal excise tax on Harvard’s US$53 billion endowment income from 1.4 per cent to 8 per cent. Endowment income accounts for 40 per cent of Harvard’s operating budget.

Garber said the school has taken steps to support Jewish and Israeli students who faced “vicious and reprehensible” treatment following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023.

But he maintained that the administration’s measures extended far beyond the issue of antisemitism and amounted to unconstitutional interference in Harvard’s academic independence.