BOSTON: Harvard University won a major reprieve on Wednesday as a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s decision to slash billions in federal research grants, calling the move “illegal retaliation.”
US District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the government had unlawfully tied $2.6 billion in funding cuts to Harvard’s refusal to adopt sweeping policy changes demanded by a federal antisemitism task force. The decision immediately restores about $2 billion for ongoing research projects, according to court filings.
Burroughs wrote that the administration used concerns over antisemitism “as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”
Harvard: Cuts were political payback
In its lawsuit, Harvard alleged the administration retaliated after the university rejected an April 11 letter calling for broad changes to admissions, academic programs, and governance. President Alan Garber reiterated Harvard’s stance: “No government should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study they can pursue.”
Trump denies retaliation
The Trump administration argued the grants were already under review and insisted it had authority to cancel contracts over policy disputes. “It is the policy of the United States under the Trump Administration not to fund institutions that fail to adequately address antisemitism,” officials said in court documents.
Negotiations between Harvard and federal officials continue, with President Trump signaling he wants the university to pay at least $500 million as part of any settlement. The administration has already struck deals with Columbia and Brown.
