Trump’s team weighs withholding billions in research grants from ‘woke’ universities, potentially reshaping America’s higher education landscape.
This is the kind of leadership we’ve been waiting for.
At a Glance
- Trump administration considers cutting federal funding to universities deemed ‘woke’
- Ivy League schools received over $5 billion in federal funds in fiscal year 2023
- Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, potential NIH nominee, proposes linking grants to ‘academic freedom’ measures
- Critics warn of potential political influence on scientific research and medical advancements
- NIH grants, totaling up to $25 billion annually, have contributed to Nobel Prize-winning research
Trump’s Bold Move to Reshape Higher Education
President-elect Donald Trump is gearing up for a major overhaul of the U.S. education system, with a particular focus on colleges and universities.
And it’s not coming a moment too soon.
The administration’s plan to combat “wokeness” and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in education includes the threat of financial penalties for non-compliance. This aggressive approach could significantly impact federal funding to universities, potentially altering the landscape of American higher education.
Trump’s team is considering a drastic measure: withholding research grants from universities they deem “woke” and lacking in academic freedom. This move comes in response to recent criticism of U.S. universities for their handling of antisemitism amid campus protests related to the Gaza conflict.
Trump’s team looking at withholding massive research grants from ‘woke’ schools https://t.co/NpAJH4aHLl
— Independent US (@IndyUSA) December 6, 2024
The Financial Stakes
The potential impact of Trump’s education policies on federal funding to universities is substantial. In fiscal year 2023, Ivy League schools alone received over $5 billion in federal funds. Harvard, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, and Cornell are among the major recipients of this funding. Public universities like the University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin also receive significant federal support.
Trump has threatened that universities could be “fined up to the entire amount of their endowment” if they fail to comply with his administration’s standards. This financial leverage is seen as a tool to influence cultural discourse within higher education and introduce greater perspective variety in academic spaces.
Dr. Bhattacharya’s Proposed Changes
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Trump’s potential nominee for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has also outlined a plan to address what he perceives as “cancel culture” at progressive universities. His proposal includes linking federal research grants to measures of “academic freedom” and punishing institutions that don’t support conservative perspectives.
Bhattacharya is exploring the use of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s university rankings, which are based on freedom of speech, as a potential measure. Universities like the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and the University of Southern California have poor rankings in this system, while the University of Virginia and others rank highly.
Beyond the funding changes, Bhattacharya has proposed several reforms for the NIH. These include funding studies to replicate scientific work to combat fraud, creating a journal for open discussion with named reviewers, limiting grant money for journal publications, and pausing research that creates new viruses. He also aims to implement term limits for NIH research institute leaders and considers reducing the number of institutes from 27 to 15.
Critics, including former NIH Director Ned Sharpless, express concerns about the feasibility and potential political influence of these changes. The NIH grants, which total up to $25 billion annually, have contributed to significant medical advances, including Nobel Prize-winning research. The proposed changes could have far-reaching implications for scientific research and medical progress in the United States.
Doesn’t this all sound…amazing?
