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| A man looks at his mobile phone beside a sign for Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, June 18, 2018. — Reuters |
NEW YORK: US Judge Blocks Trump’s Funding Cuts to Harvard, Citing Political Motives
A man looks at his mobile phone beside a sign for
Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, June 18, 2018. — ReutersNEW
YORK: A US judge has overturned President Donald Trump’s funding cuts to
Harvard University, ruling that the move was more about politics than...
A federal judge in Boston has overturned former President
Donald Trump’s decision to cut off billions of dollars in funding to Harvard
University, ruling that the move was politically motivated rather than aimed at
addressing student safety.
The case began in April when Harvard filed a lawsuit seeking
the restoration of more than $2 billion in frozen funds. Trump’s administration
had argued the cuts were justified due to Harvard’s alleged failure to protect
Jewish and Israeli students during campus protests over Israel’s war in Gaza.
Harvard’s Funding Freeze and Its
Fallout
The freeze had an immediate impact on the Ivy League
university, forcing it to halt faculty hiring and suspend several major
research initiatives, particularly in medical and public health fields. Experts
warned that such delays risked jeopardizing critical research that could save
American lives.
In her ruling, Judge Allison Burroughs declared:
“The Court vacates and sets aside the Freeze Orders and
Termination Letters as violative of the First Amendment. All freezes and terminations
of funding to Harvard made pursuant to the Freeze Orders and Termination
Letters on or after April 14, 2025 are vacated and set aside.”
Judge Says Cuts Were a “Smokescreen”
While acknowledging that Harvard had indeed struggled with
anti-Semitism in recent years and needed to address the issue more effectively,
Judge Burroughs emphasized that there was “little connection between the
research affected by the grant terminations and anti-Semitism.”
She further described Trump’s action as using anti-Semitism
as a “smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this
country’s premier universities.”
Broader Political Context
The lawsuit, combined with a case brought by the American
Association of University Professors, highlights a growing clash between the
Trump administration and elite universities. Trump has frequently accused
institutions like Harvard of harboring liberal bias, resisting oversight, and
fostering anti-conservative environments.
Harvard, which resisted demands to change its curriculum,
staffing policies, and student recruitment practices, became a key target in
Trump’s campaign against what he and his allies describe as “unaccountable
liberal bastions.”
The government also challenged Harvard’s ability to host
international students, who make up more than a quarter of its enrollment,
threatening a vital source of revenue and global prestige.
Looking Ahead
Trump had attempted to move the case to the Court of Federal
Claims, but Judge Burroughs’ ruling keeps it in Boston federal court — just
miles from Harvard’s Cambridge campus.
For now, Harvard has regained access to its critical
funding, allowing it to resume halted programs and stabilize its operations.
The decision also delivers a significant blow to Trump’s broader push against
elite universities, underscoring the judiciary’s role in limiting politically
motivated interventions in higher education.