Harvard University filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop billions of dollars in proposed cuts.

The suit filed Monday is part of a feud that escalated last week when the elite institution rejected a list of demands that the Trump administration said was designed to curb diversity initiatives and fight anti-semitism at the school.

President Donald Trump froze $2.2bn (£1.7bn) of federal funding and also threatened the university's tax-exempt status.

"The consequences of the government's overreach will be severe and long-lasting," Harvard's president Alan M. Garber said in a letter to the university on Monday.

Mr Garber said the funding freeze had affected critical research, including studies on pediatric cancer, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

"In recent weeks, the federal Government has launched a broad attack on the critical funding partnerships that make this invaluable research possible," the school's lawsuit said.

"This case involves the government's efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decisionmaking at Harvard."

Aside from funding, the Trump administration days ago also threatened Harvard's ability to enrol international students.

The White House has not commented on Monday's suit.