Harvard sues Trump administration to stop freeze of more than USD 2 billion in grants

Harvard University announced on Monday, 21 April, that it was suing the Donald Trump administration to halt a freeze on more than USD 2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration's demands to limit activism on campus.

In a letter to Harvard earlier this month, Trump's administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the university, as well as changes to its admissions policies.

It also demanded the university audit views of diversity on campus, and stop recognising some student clubs.

Harvard president Alan Garber said the university would not bend to the government's demands. Hours later, the government froze billions of dollars in federal funding.

The row between Harvard University and Trump escalated further after the elite university refused to accept far-reaching policy changes ordered by the White House, and Trump threatened to strip it of its tax-exempt status.

As it is Harvard University is facing a major financial setback after the Trump administration imposed a freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funding, following the university’s refusal to comply with a list of sweeping demands related to governance, campus policies, and civil rights enforcement.

Now, Trump has said that Harvard "should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity" if the premier college does not agree to his demands to change how it runs itself, which would include a selection of students and authority for professors.

Tax-exempt status is "totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST," he said in the post on Truth Social.

The demands, originally issued in early April, called for the dismantling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices, cooperation with immigration authorities in screening international students, and sweeping reforms to hiring, admissions, and internal governance.