Harvard University

America's oldest university and the institution with the largest endowment, now the sole Ivy League holdout against Trump administration settlement demands. - Refusing settlement, pursuing litigation

Harvard has received billions in federal research funding for decades without major controversy. Now President Trump is demanding the university pay $1 billion to the government—five times what he sought months earlier—after a year of escalating threats, frozen grants, and failed negotiations. The university has refused to capitulate, and a federal judge has ruled the funding freeze unconstitutional.

Updated Feb 4

A research powerhouse turned test case for whether federal grants can be used as ideological leverage. - Plaintiff seeking restoration of research funds; defendant in broader federal pressure campaign

Harvard won. A federal judge said the government unlawfully cut off Harvard’s research money—then ordered the taps turned back on. Now the Trump administration is appealing, keeping a cloud over a sprawling research portfolio that runs from medical breakthroughs to national-security science.

Updated Dec 19, 2025