1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

The proposed provisions in H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act, pose a serious threat to higher education institutions and the vital research they conduct. Raising the endowment tax rate from 1.4% to a staggering 21% would severely undermine universities' ability to provide financial aid and support groundbreaking academic research programs. Nearly half of endowment funds are allocated towards student aid, making college more accessible to low-income students. This tax hike could cost elite research universities like Harvard up to $850 million annually, hampering their capacity for innovation across fields like medicine, science, and technology. These attacks on higher education endanger the freedom to pursue knowledge and express ideas freely – core principles of academia. I urge you to protect access to education and champion the valuable contributions of university research by opposing the endowment tax increase and other harmful provisions targeting colleges and universities in H.R. 1.