American Oversight Statement on Harvard Federal Court Hearing
“Today, it’s Harvard,” said American Oversight’s Chioma Chukwu. “Tomorrow, it could be any university, nonprofit, or foundation that stands up for the public good.”
As Harvard University and the Trump administration appear at the federal district court in Boston for a hearing today over more than $2 billion in grants and contracts that the Trump administration has withheld from the university, American Oversight released the following statement from Executive Director Chioma Chukwu:
“This is not just a legal battle over funding — it’s the latest front in the Trump administration’s campaign to weaponize the federal government to eliminate dissent and seize ideological control.
“Using misleading attacks on DEI and the false banner of fighting antisemitism, the administration is advancing an unlawful agenda to force academic institutions, nonprofits, and others to mirror its ideological views. The irony is stark: While claiming to champion viewpoint diversity, this administration is in fact seeking ideological capture — demanding conformity and punishing dissent to consolidate power.
“We’ve already seen the administration wield the levers of government — freezing billions in research dollars, issuing sweeping subpoenas, and threatening Harvard’s nonprofit status — to pressure institutions into submission. And let’s be clear: Today, it’s Harvard, but tomorrow it could be any university, nonprofit, or foundation that dares to stand up for truth, inclusion, or the rule of law.
“Institutions that capitulate under this pressure set a dangerous precedent. If they buckle now, they invite a future in which dissent is silenced, independence is extinguished, and unchecked power rules the day. This must not stand — for the sake of academic freedom, civil society, and our democracy itself.”
In May, American Oversight sued the Internal Revenue Service seeking records of the Trump administration’s escalating political attacks on Harvard, including efforts to revoke the school’s nonprofit status. The nonprofit watchdog also joined hundreds of other nonprofit organizations in a public statement opposing the administration’s retaliatory actions against the university.