Trump Administration Asks First Circuit to Reinstate Harvard Funding Cuts

Hugo C. Chiasson and Elise A. Spenner
Harvard Crimson 

The Trump administration urged the First Circuit on Monday to let it revoke Harvard’s funding, arguing the district court lacked the authority to require the government to restore nearly $2.7 billion in research grants last fall.

Justice Department lawyer Michael K. Velchik ’12, arguing before a crowded courtroom, asked a skeptical three-judge First Circuit panel to toss out a September 2025 ruling by U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs requiring the Trump administration to restore Harvard’s funding. Velchik framed the dispute between Harvard and the Trump administration as a contractual issue stemming from the termination letters issued widely to University researchers in May 2025 — a question that he said could only be decided by the Court of Federal Claims.

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