President Trump freezes funding for Harvard University after the university denies the request
President Donald Trump has threatened to freeze federal funding if several elite universities do not comply with his demands.
The Trump administration sued Harvard University on March 20, seeking to recover billions of dollars in public funds, alleging that the university “offered bounties to students who assaulted, harassed, and threatened fellow Jews and Israelis.”
The complaint alleges that after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Jewish and Israeli students at Harvard were harassed, assaulted, stalked, and spat on, and that Harvard’s response was “inaction.” The lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit, filed as a discrimination lawsuit against Harvard University, accuses the university of failing to enforce its own rules and failing to “meaningfully discipline” those who “occupied the building and terrorized Jewish and Israeli students.”
The lawsuit marks an escalation in an ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and the university, which has been in negotiations for months over a potential settlement.
Harvard University did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
