Rein in assault on academic freedom, open inquiry

The Trump administration's heavy-handed coercion of Columbia University and other institutions of higher learning to force alignment with its political agenda is utterly reprehensible. Wielding the threat of funding cuts as a weapon to compel sweeping policy changes that undermine academic freedom and open discourse on campuses nationwide is an egregious abuse of power. How can Congress allow this authoritarian overreach and outright attack on free speech to unfold without forceful intervention? This disturbing pattern of the administration targeting universities that refuse to capitulate to its ideological demands poses an existential threat to the independence and integrity of academia. These vindictive actions trample on the sacred principles that enable universities to fearlessly pursue knowledge, challenge prevailing orthodoxies, and cultivate the next generation of critical thinkers. The American people and democratic society at large are profoundly undermined when political forces are permitted to intrude into and constrain the unbridled realm of intellectual inquiry. This dire assault on one of society's vital institutional pillars cannot be tolerated. Congress must act decisively to rein in this administration's destructive campaign against open academic environments and reassert the constitutional limits around federal overreach into universities. Failing to do so guarantees catastrophic consequences that will reverberate far beyond campus boundaries.