The showdown between Harvard and the Trump administration escalated again this week, with another funding cut, a new lawsuit, and a rare courtroom concession from the federal government. As pressure from the administration mounts, Harvard is attempting to rally support, calling on alumni to speak out and donate to the University.
What happened this week:
- President Alan M. Garber’s fundraising push: In a Monday email, Garber called on alumni to contribute to a new “Presidential Priorities Fund” that will offer “flexible support” for Harvard’s research and teaching amid the Trump administration’s sweeping funding cuts. He also asked alumni and supporters to “stay informed,” including through Harvard’s research funding website, about the research at stake, and to advocate for the University to “friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.”
- Another funding cut: On Monday night, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services slashed $60 million in federal grant funding to the University, citing Harvard’s “continued failure to address antisemitic harassment and race discrimination” on X. The announcement follows a $450-million cut last week and a $2.2-billion cut last month. While the initial cut focused exclusively on antisemitism, the two most recent announcements also accuse Harvard of racial discrimination.
- A new lawsuit against the Trump administration: American Oversight, a non-profit watchdog group formed in 2017, sued the Trump administration Wednesday for “unlawfully withholding records” related to its efforts to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status. The group says the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Education missed deadlines to release records under a FOIA request filed in April. “[T]he Trump Administration has demonstrated an eagerness to abuse its power to pursue politically-motivated investigations of and adverse actions against those who criticize the president’s actions, resist his unlawful agenda, or otherwise draw Trump’s ire,” the group wrote in the suit.
- A concession from the government: A Trump administration lawyer admitted in court Wednesday that removing two Harvard Medical School professors’ research from a federal website amounted to “viewpoint discrimination,” The Crimson reported. The research included terms, including “LGBTQ” and “transgender,” that were banned following an executive order targeting “gender ideology” in federal agencies. Despite the admission, government attorney Shawna Yen ’89 argued the removal was still lawful—a claim of which the judge appeared skeptical, according to The Crimson. The case, brought by the two affected Harvard Medical School professors, is one of several faculty-led lawsuits that parallel Harvard’s broader legal fight with the administration.
