Howard University sued U.S. President Donald Trump for freezing billions of dollars in federal funding to the elite institute for research, after it rejected a list of White House demands because these would undermine the institute’s independence.

The lawsuit was filed in the federal court in Boston against the broad attack on funding for cutting-edge research at major universities. “This case involves the government’s efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision-making at Harvard,” the lawsuit said.

Harvard University also alleged that the Trump administration’s actions were arbitrary in nature and violated the university’s First Amendment right to free speech. 

White House Responds

In response, the White House spokesperson, Harrison Fields, said that the “gravy train of federal assistance” to institutions like Harvard was coming to an end. “Taxpayer funds are a privilege, and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access the privilege,” Fields added.

Since January, Trump has cracked down on top US universities on the grounds that they mishandled last year’s pro-Palestinian protests and allowed anti-semitic sentiments to foster within campus. However, protesters, including some Jewish groups, say that their criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza is wrongly being conflated with antisemitism.