Professors at Harvard University are scrambling to block investigations by President Donald Trump’s administration into almost $9 billion in taxpayer-funded government grants and contracts awarded to the prestigious school.
The Harvard officials have filed a lawsuit aimed at halting a federal review of the grants and contracts.
It comes as the Trump administration investigates anti-Semitism on college campuses, including Harvard.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Boston, claims that the administration’s audit threatens academic freedom and free speech.
It was brought by the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the national organization.
The legal challenge comes amid a broader federal effort to investigate antisemitic incidents and rhetoric on college campuses, including those at elite universities.
The Trump administration has increased scrutiny of institutions receiving taxpayer funds, particularly where student protests or faculty conduct have raised concerns.
According to the AAUP, the audit violates constitutional protections and is intended to intimidate faculty and chill campus discourse.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is representing the Trump administration in the case.
Harvard University, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has not commented publicly on the case.
The funding in question includes approximately $9 billion in federal grants and contracts provided to Harvard over recent years.
While the administration has not publicly detailed the full scope of the audit, it is part of a broader review of federal funding to universities where there have been allegations of antisemitism or campus unrest.
Harvard would rather borrow $750 million on Wall Street than ensure safety for ALL students.
While Joe Biden turned a blind eye to campus antisemitism, the Trump Administration is taking a stand against violence and harassment at America’s universities. pic.twitter.com/36VaUpTVzp
— Erika Donalds (@ErikaDonalds) April 12, 2025
The issue gained national attention in 2023, when then-Harvard President Claudine Gay testified before Congress.
During her testimony, Gay was asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate Harvard’s code of conduct.
She responded that such speech would not necessarily constitute a violation, prompting widespread criticism.
Gay later stepped down from her position.
In May 2024, faculty and students at Harvard participated in a rally where participants were heard chanting “Intifada, come to America,” according to event footage and multiple news reports.
The demonstration, which included both anti-Israel and anti-American sentiment, drew further attention to the climate on Harvard’s campus and fueled calls for a federal review of the school’s publicly funded programs.
The federal audit is focused on ensuring that taxpayer money is not being used to subsidize institutions that allow discriminatory conduct or fail to uphold civil rights standards, officials have said.
The legal action from the Harvard professors comes despite the university’s massive financial resources.
As of 2024, Harvard’s endowment is valued at more than $51 billion, making it the largest university endowment in the country.
The school’s reliance on federal grants and contracts—despite this endowment—has also sparked criticism.
American Universities are NOT what you think, and intertwined with George Soros
🚨 Mike Benz “Harvard Endowment and George Soros’s Quantum Fund were given basically a NO COMPETITOR CLOSED AUCTION BID on the sale of those formerly Soviet government held assets”
“You think that… pic.twitter.com/OWkYwaEZo6
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) April 14, 2025
The professors’ lawsuit is expected to be an early test of how far universities can go in resisting federal oversight tied to campus behavior and the use of taxpayer funds.
The case is pending in U.S. District Court in Boston, with a hearing date yet to be scheduled.
The Trump administration has not indicated whether additional universities will face similar audits, though officials have suggested more reviews could be on the horizon.
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