Harvard expands lawsuit after Trump cancels $450 million more in grants

Harvard University expanded its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's moves to cut off billions of dollars in federal funding on Tuesday, after officials said they were terminating an additional $450 million in grants.

Harvard filed the amended complaint in federal court in Boston just hours after a federal antisemitism task force announced that eight government agencies were cancelling more grants, on top of the $2.2 billion in funding the administration had already frozen.

The task force -- which includes representatives from the US departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice -- said the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based school had failed to address “pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment plaguing its campus”.

In response, Harvard broadened a lawsuit it first filed on Apr 22 to cover the latest research-grant terminations, which came from agencies including the US departments of Defense and Energy, as well as the National Science Foundation.

The revised complaint also now challenges a decision announced last week in a letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to freeze billions of dollars in future research grants and other federal aid until the university concedes to the administration’s demands.

Harvard argues the administration's sweeping actions violate the free speech guarantees of the US Constitution’s First Amendment. The university also says the massive funding freeze is overly broad and was implemented without following proper procedures.

“The Government has not identified -- and cannot identify -- any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen or terminated,” the lawsuit said.

Harvard is asking US District Judge Allison Burroughs to declare the administration’s actions unlawful and block the grant terminations. She previously scheduled arguments in the case for July 21.

Trump has targeted Harvard, citing allegations of antisemitism during pro-Palestinian protests on campus. The demonstrations were sparked by US ally Israel’s war in Gaza following the October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants.

Trump has claimed that pro-Palestinian protesters are antisemitic and sympathetic to Hamas. Protesters -- including some Jewish groups -- argue that the government wrongly conflates criticism of Israel’s military actions with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with extremism.

The Trump administration began cancelling funding after launching a review in late March of roughly $9 billion in grants and contracts linked to Harvard. Trump has also threatened to strip the university of its tax-exempt status.

In its complaint, Harvard said it is committed to combating antisemitism and has taken steps to ensure that its campus is safe and welcoming to Jewish and Israeli students. It argued that the administration’s actions pose a threat to academic freedom.

While Harvard has a $53 billion endowment -- the largest of any US university -- the school noted that much of it is restricted and earmarked for purposes such as financial aid and scholarships.