Protect Universities From Authoritarian Overreach

The Trump administration’s threats to cut federal funding to force universities into submission is authoritarian overreach, plain and simple. Coercing institutions like Columbia University into rewriting campus policies under financial duress violates their independence and erodes academic freedom (PBS NewsHour, March 21, 2025). This is a blatant attack on democracy. Princeton’s president warned that using taxpayer dollars as a “cudgel to force concessions” undermines the autonomy of higher education, a pillar of free societies (PBS NewsHour, March 21, 2025). If government control over academic decisions becomes normalized, it destroys the critical thinking and open debate that fuel progress and protect our republic. Congress and state officials must act now. This isn’t just about universities—it’s about preserving constitutional protections from creeping authoritarianism that threatens every democratic institution.