The lawsuit argues there is little connection between the Trump administration's stated goal—compelling universities to crack down on campus anti-Semitism—and the means it is using to achieve that end.

'If Harvard, or any institution for that matter, does not wish to comply with this basic legal obligation, the proper avenue for achieving this is simple: do not take federal financial assistance,' the lawmakers wrote.

“The Wexner Foundation is formally ending its financial and programmatic relationships with Harvard and the Harvard Kennedy School,” the group said in a letter to the university’s board of overseers. “We make this decision with an unwavering commitment to our Israel alumni, to Israel’s civil service, and to the State of Israel.”