Harvard University on the 2nd requested the Boston Federal District Court to issue a summary judgment to unfreeze over $2 billion in federal funds frozen by the U.S. government. On the same day, President Trump stated on social media that the so-called claim that he was 'fighting hard' against Harvard was pure nonsense because he had been rejected for admission.
Harvard stated in legal documents submitted to the court that since April 14, the university had received 957 directives from the Trump administration demanding the freeze of research funds related to national security threats, cancer, and infectious diseases. 'The government is eager to freeze and terminate billions of dollars in federal funds currently and in the future for key research at Harvard, lacking the basic conditions for rational decision-making.' Federal agencies made the hasty freeze decision under instructions from the White House, violating federal law and causing irreparable harm to scientific research.
A summary judgment refers to a court's ruling when it finds that there are no substantial factual disputes in a case, allowing the judge to make a binding decision based solely on the law without a jury trial or complete court hearing.
On April 11, Trump administration officials sent a letter to Harvard University demanding the school undertake 'meaningful governance reform and restructuring,' or face cuts to federal funding. On April 14, Harvard University rejected this demand. Later that evening, the Trump administration announced it would freeze $2.2 billion in long-term grants to the university, along with $60 million in long-term contract funds.
Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on April 21, accusing the government of attempting to control Harvard's academic decisions by freezing federal funds. On May 13, the U.S. government further cut Harvard's federal funding by an additional $450 million on top of previous reductions. In response, Harvard expanded the scope of its lawsuit.
Trump stated on social media on the 2nd that a reporter claimed he was 'fighting hard' against Harvard University simply because he was rejected when he applied for admission years ago, which is completely false. 'I never applied to Harvard! I graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.'