The White House on Tuesday pushed back against mounting backlash from over a hundred US academic institutions that accused the Trump administration of overstepping its bounds and interfering politically in higher education, AFP reported.
A coalition of colleges and universities, including Ivy League names such as Princeton and Brown, issued a joint statement denouncing what they described as an "unprecedented government overreach" into American academia.
The coordinated response came one day after Harvard University initiated legal proceedings against the federal government, seeking to block funding restrictions and resist increased federal oversight.
“The president has made it quite clear that it’s Harvard who has put themselves in a position to lose their own funding by not obeying federal law, and we expect all colleges and universities who are receiving taxpayer funds to abide by federal law,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt during a briefing.
In their letter, the academic institutions affirmed a shared commitment to resisting undue governmental pressure: “We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion,” they wrote. “We must reject the coercive use of public research funding.”
The Trump administration has taken a hardline stance against several prestigious universities, alleging they have enabled antisemitic activity on campus. In response, the administration has threatened funding cuts, challenged tax-exempt statuses, and scrutinized the presence of international students.
The joint statement emphasized the importance of safeguarding academic freedom, declaring that campuses must remain places where “faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation.”
The administration argues its efforts are part of a broader campaign to confront what it sees as institutionalized bias and failure to address threats against Jewish students.
“President Trump is not going to tolerate illegal harassment and violence towards Jewish American students or students of any faith on our campuses across the country,” Leavitt stated, according to AFP. “We will be responding to the lawsuit in court,” she added.
Officials have linked their scrutiny to campus demonstrations surrounding Israel’s military actions in Gaza last year, which frequently featured antisemitic rhetoric. Several institutions took disciplinary action during that period, and some, such as Columbia University, have since faced further pressure from the federal government.
Harvard’s lawsuit challenges recent federal demands concerning admissions, hiring practices, and foreign student records. The administration last week froze $2.2 billion in federal funding to the university.
The Department of Homeland Security has also warned Harvard that its ability to host international students could be at risk unless it provides documentation related to students’ alleged “illegal and violent activities.”
In its legal filing, Harvard seeks to invalidate the federal conditions placed on grant funding and demands reimbursement for legal costs stemming from the dispute.
The funding cut came after University President Alan M. Garber stated that Harvard would not comply with the administration’s directives.
On Monday, it was reported that the Trump administration is preparing to freeze another billion dollars in federal funding for Harvard University because the administration was angered by Harvard's decision to publish a letter listing the government's demands, as the contents of the letter were supposed to be kept private.
President Donald Trump late last week continued his criticism of Harvard, saying the university is abusing its tax-exempt status and describing it as “antisemitic” over its handling of anti-Israel protests on campus.
“I think Harvard is a disgrace. They're obviously antisemitic, and all of a sudden they're starting to behave,” Trump told reporters.