1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

I am writing as a constituent, a voter, and a higher education professional to demand that you stand with Science and Education to stop illegal and unconstitutional attacks on universities like Columbia and John's Hopkins. Research universities make the United States more competitive. They improve lives and foster innovation. The efforts to strip funding from universities and colleges and impose unconstitutional view point restrictions upon them in politically motivated ways is unconstitutional and illegal. I demand that you DO YOUR JOB and protect and defend knowledge by protecting and defending our universities and colleges. The Trump administrations efforts to cancel university funding are illegal because the executive branch does not hold the power of the purse and may not impound funds that Congress has allocated. In the U.S. Constitutional order, the founders designation Congress as the branch of government that has the ability to set spending and raise taxes. The executive branch in contrast is weaker and does not hold the power of the purse. Further the Impoundment Act of 1974 prohibits the president from withholding funds already allocated by Congress. President Trump's efforts to use the Department of Justicce as his personal lackeys to punish universities he does not like on the basis of protected speech and for political reasons is illegal. It violates the constitutional order and the law. If Congress would like to restrict future funding or to provide guidelines for universities it may do so by passing a law. It may do so by passing laws. The exevutive branch may do so by passing rules in line with the Administrative Procedures Act. This is unconstitutional overreach and it will hurt science and hurt universities. STOP TRUMP NOW!!!! The Trump Administration's actions are unconstitutional, violating the First Amendment. University faculty and researchers have robust First Amendment protections when it comes to speech. The government cannot treat universities differently because it disagrees with some of what the people there say. That is tyranny. The founders fought a war over this and liberty won. The Trump Administration is engaged in an unconstitutional project of politically motivated viewpoint discrimination. It is unconstitutional. Trump is violating his oath and you are violating your oath by failing to do something about this! This is no joke. It is an emergency. Stand up for universities. Stand up for research and innovation. Stand up for free speech and the constitution. Stop Trump's politically motivated illegal and unconstitutional actions. I expect a reply from your office detailing how you will support education and research by protecting universities.