1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

The Trump administration’s investigation into Harvard over alleged antisemitism and diversity hiring is a dangerous misuse of federal power. The Justice and Education Departments have frozen more than $2 billion in research grants and threatened the university’s tax-exempt status. This is political retaliation disguised as oversight. Dartmouth President Sian Beilock and members of the Academic Freedom Alliance warn that these actions undermine academic independence and chill essential debate in American higher education. This is not an isolated case. Public universities across the country are now facing similar threats. Former federal investigators say the administration is selectively targeting schools based on ideology, not evidence. Historian Ellen Schrecker has drawn chilling comparisons to the McCarthy era, when federal power was used to intimidate scholars and silence dissent. That history cannot be allowed to repeat itself. Congress must act now. Protect academic freedom from politically driven investigations. Pass legislation that defends universities from retaliation and restores frozen research funding. Without action, we risk turning America’s universities into places of fear instead of free inquiry. The integrity of our democracy demands better.