Science & Education Made Us a World Leader: Protect Free Speech & Democracy

State and federal leaders, the world looks to America not just for military might or economic strength but also for our leadership in science, education, and innovation. Our own government is attacking that reputation. The Trump administration’s ongoing war on academic freedom is tearing apart the foundation that helps make us a global leader. These changes will impact our state and our nation. Tenure is being dismantled. Professors are fleeing. Nearly 300 anti-speech laws have been introduced across the country since Trump took office, many of them inspired by White House rhetoric. Faculty in states like Texas and Florida have lost basic protections for teaching history, health, or identity. A University of Houston professor called it “the slow death of honest education.” These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a coordinated political effort to silence critical thinking and punish dissent. Federal funding is now weaponized. Universities must sign vague “free speech pledges” or risk losing support. But those pledges are political litmus tests. They don’t protect open dialogue, they suppress it. Meanwhile, the number of commencement speakers disinvited or shouted down has spiked, with Trump allies labeling scholars as “enemies of freedom.” One prominent academic recently resigned from a top university after receiving threats for speaking on race in America. We must act now. Congress must protect tenure, stop ideological crackdowns on education, and ensure that federal support strengthens, rather than undermines independent research. Great nations invest in truth. They don’t fear it. Your decisions today will shape whether America continues to lead or falls behind. Please stand up for our future, defend education, and defend democracy.