Appeals court weighs Trump bid to cut $2.2 billion Harvard grants

A First Circuit panel in Boston heard arguments Oct. 5, 2026, on the Trump administration's bid to undo a lower-court order restoring more than $2.6 billion in Harvard research funding after the administration cut roughly $2.2 billion in grants. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled the cuts were illegal retaliation for Harvard rejecting demands in a federal antisemitism task force letter on governance, hiring, and admissions. The administration also sought to bar Harvard from hosting foreign students and threatened its tax-exempt status. Supporters protested outside the courthouse. The parties dispute the proper forum. DOJ attorney Michael Velchik said the district court lacked jurisdiction to order specific performance and that the fight belongs in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims: "That is the only thing that we're complaining about here." Harvard attorney Paul Clement called the restoration the perfect remedy for retaliation and discrimination claims, saying, "These are not claims that really depend on the contract in any particular way." Judge Joshua Dunlap pressed whether Burroughs effectively ordered payment. Judge Sandra Lynch said there were no findings or investigation before the terminations and that the administration "didn't want to have to cope with what the law and the facts of this case presented." The panel did not rule immediately.