President Donald Trump's administration suffered another legal blow in its efforts to freeze federal funding for programs that do not align with the Republican's agenda on Thursday when a second judge blocked it from implementing a sweeping pause on spending on grants,

For years, a federal program has supplied millions of dollars in guaranteed grants and loans to farmers – helping them tap into renewable energy and improve operations. Since 2014, it’s helped with thousands of projects in New York and New England combined.

The step by Harvard, which has an endowment of more than $50 billion, illustrates the gravity of the situation facing higher education.

With uncertainties around federal funding for higher education, some schools are cutting back. Experts say that could hurt not only students and faculty, but ultimately make the U.S. less competitive.

Harvard University and MIT have implemented hiring freezes as the White House crackdown on higher education continues to escalate. Why it matters: Austerity measures at Massachusetts' two most prominent and wealthiest universities mean trouble for the state,

At least two Ivy League schools, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, took the step as the Trump administration threatens to cut research grants.

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the academic community, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have implemented temporary hiring freezes in response to the Trump administration’s widening crackdown on universities.