True to the spirit of Groundhog Day, February 2, President Trump began a repeat of the dispute between the Federal Government and Harvard University.
Previously, a federal task force on antisemitism had commenced an investigation of alleged antisemitism at Harvard growing out of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in conjunction with the Gaza War. The Trump Administration sent stop-work orders on research grants issued to Harvard and a group of hospitals associated with the Harvard Medical School. Harvard and the Trump Administration began to exchange emails, including a government email that demanded a significant role and compliance monitors in order to restore federal funding.
On April 21, Harvard University sued the Trump Administration over the suspension of $2.2 billion in federal research grants on the basis of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and a failure to address antisemitism at the institution. Harvard named in its complaint the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a number of other federal cabinet departments that fund research at Harvard, the National Science Foundation, and the individuals leading those entities. The labor unions representing Harvard faculty and non-academic staff quickly filed a second lawsuit.
The authors of Harvard’s complaint include William A. Burck, who served as Ethics Counsel for the Trump Organization, and Robert Hur, who served as Special Counsel on the Biden classified documents case.
The Federal district court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the federal action, and the case went to a hearing on motions for summary judgment. On September 3, 2025, Federal District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs decided two cases in favor of Harvard and against the Trump Administration. As a result, Burroughs’ 84-page decision lifted the block on Harvard’s federal research grants.
Although the federal government faces years of appeals while the government’s research funding cuts are blocked, President Trump brought fresh fuel to the controversy with a Truth Social post. In response to speculation by the New York Times that the Trump Administration was dropping any demand for a monetary penalty from Harvard, President Trump announced, “This case will continue until justice is served.” He asserted that Harvard had been “feeding a lot of ‘nonsense’ to the failing New York Times.” President Trump demanded on Truth Social that Harvard pay $1 billion in a settlement.
In a later post after midnight Tuesday, Trump called the Times article “completely wrong” and demanded that it be changed. In the morning, he assailed the newspaper as a “corrupt, unprincipled, and pathetic vehicle of the Left.”
“The administration’s wild overreach in Minnesota and elsewhere is becoming more apparent,” Anurima Bhargava, a leader of the Crimson Courage alumni group, said. “Harvard has an increasing upper hand.”
On February 3, Karoline Leavitt, White House Spokesperson was asked about President Trump’s comments and whether there would be criminal or civil actions taken against Harvard. Leavitt essentially referred the press to the President for details.
“Look. I will let the President and also the Justice Department and those who will be pursuing that against Harvard, speak on the specifics of that matter, but I know that for the President, he wants to see a deal struck with Harvard that is appropriate and that ensure they are held responsible for the criminal behavior, the illegal behavior, the harassment, and the targeting of Jewish American students on the campus that took place over the course of the last several years. This is something the Administration has been working on over the course of the last year, and the President himself has been directly involved, as evidenced by that Truth Social statement.”
Professional Military Education
On February 6, Secretary Pete Hegseth announced his department was ending professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard, further escalating the Trump administration’s war against the school.
An important benefit of military service is that the Pentagon pays for graduate education for its officers. Many officers earn master’s degrees (and some PhDs) while in military service, which not only improves job performance while in the military, but also enhances employment prospects after a return to civilian life. While some professional military education is conducted at the National War College in Washington DC or the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, officers compete to obtain their degrees at elite programs such as Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. In fact, Hegseth earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School,
Hegseth posted on X, “Starting now and beginning in the 2026-27 school year, I am discontinuing all graduate level Professional Military Education (PME), all fellowships, and certificate programs between Harvard University and the War Department for active duty service members. Harvard is woke; the Department of War is not.” Hegseth added that he may impose similar restrictions on other universities in the coming weeks.
Universities benefit because these students do not use financial aid from the host school and are generally more mature and motivated than non-military students.
“For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard, hoping the university would better understand and appreciate our warrior class,” Hegseth said in a statement. “Instead, too many of our officers came back looking too much like Harvard — heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks.” Nonetheless, the Pentagon did not announce any changes to Harvard’s Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) hosted at MIT.
It appears that the Trump Administration will take this fight further in channels outside the ongoing court case and the currently effective injunction.
