'Illegal retaliation': Judge blocks Trump administration’s Harvard grant cuts; restores $2 billion in research funding

Harvard University scored a major legal victory on Wednesday after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s cuts to more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants.

US district judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the administration’s actions amounted to illegal retaliation against the Ivy League school for rejecting White House demands to change its governance and policies.


The ruling reverses a series of funding freezes that later became outright cuts as the Trump administration escalated its battle with Harvard. If it stands, the decision will restore hundreds of research projects that had lost federal funding, according to AP.

Burroughs noted that the government had tied the freezes to Harvard’s handling of antisemitism on campus, but found little connection between the research grants and the university’s efforts to combat discrimination.

“A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that Defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities,” she wrote.

Harvard says cuts were payback

Harvard’s lawsuit claims the Trump administration retaliated after the university rejected demands outlined in an April 11 letter from a federal antisemitism task force. The letter had called for sweeping changes in campus policies, academic programs, and admissions, citing concerns over alleged antisemitism and liberal bias.

Harvard President Alan Garber said the university is committed to fighting antisemitism but emphasised that “no government should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue," as quoted by AP.

Trump denies retaliation

The Trump administration denied retaliating against Harvard, arguing the grants were under review even before the April 11 letter was sent. Officials said they have the authority to cancel federal contracts for policy reasons. “It is the policy of the United States under the Trump Administration not to fund institutions that fail to adequately address antisemitism in their programs,” court filings stated.

Beyond the courtroom, Harvard and federal officials are discussing a potential agreement that could restore access to federal funding. President Trump has said he wants Harvard to pay no less than $500 million, though no deal has been finalised. The administration has reached settlements with other universities, including Columbia and Brown.