Banners on the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library at the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg) (Sophie Park/Bloomberg)
Harvard sued the Trump administration in April over its attempt to freeze the federal funding, and argued in court that the actions amounted to an unconstitutional "pressure campaign" to influence and exert control over elite academic institutions.
"Ultimately, this is about Trump trying to impose his view of the world on everybody else," Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman said in a radio interview discussing the Trump administration's actions.
The Trump administration, for its part, accused Harvard of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus."
Lawyers for the Justice Department argued it had "every right" to cancel the funding for Harvard after it failed to comply with its demands.
Trump officials had immediately vowed to appeal the lower court's ruling in September, but declined to provide a time frame as to when it would do so. The administration and university officials have also reportedly been engaged in negotiations, though the status of those efforts remains unclear.
A spokesperson for Harvard told Fox News Digital that the court's September order reinstated "critical research funding that advances science and life-saving medical breakthroughs, strengthens national security, and enhances our nation’s competitiveness and economic priorities."
"We remain confident in our legal position," this person added.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the appeal.
HARVARD, TRUMP BATTLE FOR BILLIONS IN FEDERAL FUNDS AS JUDGE WEIGHS NEXT STEPS
Harvard University President Alan Garber addresses the crowd during the 373rd Commencement at Harvard University. ((Photo by Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images))
Still, experts said the actions have not been without consequence for the university. Regardless of the court’s outcome, the efforts – including attempts to revoke the school’s SEVP certification – have created "a chilling effect" for international students at Harvard, Aram Gavoor, an associate dean at George Washington University Law School and former Justice Department attorney, told Fox News Digital earlier this year.
Even if the Trump administration loses on the merits of the case, Gavoor said, "there's a point to be argued that it may have won as a function of policy."
Meanwhile, any long-term financial fallout the university might suffer as a result remains to be seen.
Harvard, in October, reported a budget deficit of $113 million for the fiscal year — its first deficit since the COVID-19 pandemic – and which the school's president attributed to the tumult and uncertainty created as a result of the protracted court fight.
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"Even by the standards of our centuries-long history, fiscal year 2025 was extraordinarily challenging, with political and economic disruption affecting many sectors, including higher education," Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-administration-appeals-ruling-restoring-2-7b-federal-funding-harvard