Cambridge (Massachusetts) [US], May 15: Hours after the US government terminated a research grant package worth about $450 million to Harvard University, the school's leadership decided to expand the lawsuit.
The "war" between the Trump administration and America's oldest university began on April 11 and continues to escalate with new moves by both sides.
Washington continues to cancel funding
Yesterday (Vietnam time), Harvard University filed an amended lawsuit in federal court in Boston (Massachusetts), according to Reuters. This move was made after the Trump administration's task force on anti-Semitism announced the cancellation of a funding package of about 450 million USD for the school.
The task force, which includes representatives from the Department of Education , the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services, made the decision on May 13 after accusing Harvard of failing to address "racism and anti-Semitism on campus."
In response, the school's leadership amended the content of the lawsuit filed in court on April 22 after the Trump administration began freezing $2.2 billion in funding for the latest research projects.
The lawsuit, which was recently amended, refers to a letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon last week in which she said billions of dollars in future research grants and other support would be frozen until the university complied with the Trump administration's demands.
Ms McMahon also warned the university not to bother applying for funding "because none of it will be approved".
Harvard is not backing down.
In the amended complaint, Harvard University said Washington has escalated its tactics with "accelerated funding cuts, increased investigations, and escalating threats" against the university and its international students. For example, in the past week the university has received notices of funding cancellation from at least six government departments and agencies.
The lawsuit also said the funding freeze was too broad and was carried out without following specific procedures. " The U.S. government has not made, and cannot establish, any plausible connection between concerns about anti-Semitism and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research for which it has frozen or revoked funding," Reuters quoted the lawsuit as saying.
Harvard University has asked federal judge Allison Burroughs to block the Trump administration's actions and allow the funding to return. Judge Burroughs had previously scheduled a hearing on July 21.
The New York Times quoted legal experts as saying that the lawsuit pursued by Harvard University had a solid argument, but they also said that the Washington government could still find other ways to cut off funding.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
