Harvard on Monday rejected demands from the Trump administration that threaten $9 billion in research funding, countering that the changes pushed by the government exceed its lawful authority and infringe on both the University’s independence and its constitutional rights.

“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a message to the community. He added: “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”