US universities pan Trump’s ‘political interference’ amid furor over funding cuts
100 institutions pen letter rejecting ‘government intrusion,’ vowing freedom of expression on campus as Washington cracks down on campus antisemitism
More than 100 US universities and colleges, including Ivy League institutions Princeton and Brown, issued a joint letter on Tuesday condemning US President Donald Trump’s “political interference” in the education system.
The move comes a day after Harvard University sued the Trump administration, which has threatened to cut funding and impose outside political supervision.
“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the letter read.
“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion,” it said, adding: “We must reject the coercive use of public research funding.”
Trump has sought to bring several prestigious universities to heel over claims they tolerated campus antisemitism, threatening their budgets, tax-exempt status, and the enrollment of foreign students.
The letter said the universities and colleges were committed to serving as centers where “faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation.”
Trump’s war against universities has seen him threaten to cut federal funding over policies meant to encourage diversity among students and staff.
The Republican president has also pursued a wide-ranging immigration crackdown that has expanded to revoking the visas of foreign students who participated in anti-Israel protest action under the accusation that they support Palestinian terrorism.
The White House has publicly justified its campaign against universities as a reaction to uncontrolled antisemitism and the desire to reverse diversity programs aimed at addressing the historical oppression of minorities.
The administration cites protests against Israel’s war against Hamas that swept across US college campuses last year and were rife with antisemitism and support for terrorism.
Harvard lawsuit
Many US universities, including Harvard, cracked down on the protests over the allegations at the time, with the Cambridge-based institution placing 23 students on probation and denying degrees to 12 others, according to protest organizers.
Several top institutions, including Columbia University, have also bowed to demands from the Trump administration, which claims that the educational elite is too left-wing.
In the case of Harvard, the White House is seeking unprecedented levels of government control over admissions and hiring practices at the country’s oldest and wealthiest university.
But Harvard rejected the government’s demands, prompting the Trump administration last week to order the freezing of $2.2 billion in federal funding to the institution.
In its lawsuit, Harvard calls for the freezing of funds and conditions imposed on federal grants to be declared unlawful, as well as for the Trump administration to pay the institution’s costs.
The Department of Homeland Security has also threatened Harvard’s ability to enroll international students unless it turns over records on visa holders’ “illegal and violent activities.”
International students made up 27.2 percent of Harvard’s enrollment this academic year, according to its website.
The Times of Israel Community.