Harvard updates lawsuit after Trump cancels additional $450M in funding

Harvard University has updated its lawsuit against the Trump administration as $450 million in research funding was cut. The Ivy League school made changes to the lawsuit following the announcement by the federal government’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism that eight federal agencies would be terminating grants worth approximately $450 million due to what is described as Harvard’s “radical” and “dark problem” on campus. The task force stated that Harvard has not adequately addressed issues of race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment on its premises. This latest freeze adds to the $2.2 billion in funding already put on hold and threats by the Trump administration to revoke its tax-exempt status. The initial lawsuit was filed in April to halt the initial $2.2 billion freeze, and in the amended lawsuit, Harvard mentioned that a significant portion of the frozen funding has now been terminated with no chance of reinstatement. Several government agencies, including the National Institute of Health, the Defense Department, Department of Energy, and Department of Agriculture, cut grants to the university citing allegations of campus antisemitism. Harvard is aiming to reverse these funding cuts. Amid the funding dispute with the Trump administration, Harvard University President Alan Garber has agreed to a 25% pay cut for the 2025-26 academic year, with other university leaders also making voluntary contributions.