White House Responds to Harvard Lawsuit Over Federal Funding

Harvard University on April 21 sued the Trump administration over its halting of more than $2 billion in federal contracts and grants.

People walk through the gate on Harvard Yard at the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass., on June 29, 2023. Scott Eisen/Getty Images

The Trump administration remains steadfast in its commitment to withhold grant money from Harvard University and any other higher education institutions that violate federal law, the White House said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt outlined the federal government’s response 24 hours after Harvard University asked a federal court to unfreeze $2.2 billion in grant money and contracts that President Donald Trump withheld after the Ivy League school refused to comply with conditions for combating campus anti-Semitism and ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.