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Dem Gov Threatens To Cut Funding From Schools That Bow To White House

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California Governor Gavin Newsom
via Gage Skidmore

California Gov. Gavin Newsom escalated his war of words with President Donald Trump on Thursday, warning universities in his state that they would face devastating financial consequences if they dared to comply with a new White House initiative.

At the center of the clash is a 10-point plan crafted by the Trump administration called the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”

The memo, delivered to nine prominent schools including the University of Southern California, outlined a framework that would reward participating institutions with lucrative federal grants and other benefits.

Universities that agreed to sign on would be eligible for “multiple positive benefits,” according to a cover letter accompanying the compact, such as meaningful research funding and expanded overhead payments.

Newsom, who has made a name for himself as one of the most vocal Democratic critics of Trump while openly eyeing national office, immediately issued threats.

Writing on social media, he declared that any California school accepting the compact would see state funding pulled.

“California universities that bend to the will of Donald Trump and sign this insane ‘compact’ will lose billions in state funding — IMMEDIATELY,” Newsom wrote.

“California will not bankroll schools that sign away academic freedom,” he added.

The compact was not limited to California institutions. Along with USC, letters went out to Dartmouth College, Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.

The administration indicated that more schools would be contacted in the coming weeks.

The proposal contains sweeping requirements. Among them, universities would need to adopt the government’s definition of gender and apply it across campus facilities, including bathrooms, locker rooms, and women’s athletic teams.

It also demands that schools end the use of race, gender, or other demographic factors in admissions decisions.

Standardized testing requirements, such as the SAT or ACT, would be reinstated for undergraduate applicants.

In addition, the compact presses institutions to clamp down on the disruptive protests that gripped many campuses during last year’s Israel-Hamas conflict. It calls for measures ensuring that demonstrations do not shut down classrooms or libraries and that students are not subjected to heckling for their viewpoints.

Universities would be expected to foster what the document describes as a “vibrant marketplace of ideas” by promoting ideological diversity among faculty and departments.

The compact even suggests transforming or eliminating administrative units that actively target or suppress conservative thought.

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Financial expectations are also included. Campuses would be required to freeze tuition for domestic students for five years.

Wealthier institutions with endowments exceeding $2 million per undergraduate would not be allowed to charge tuition for students attending for hard science programs.

The administration argues that the compact is part of a broader push to correct civil rights violations and restore fairness in higher education.

Universities were invited to provide feedback on the proposal, with a deadline of November 21 to make their decision on whether to join as “initial signatories.”

Trump has repeatedly sought to rein in higher education institutions, curtailing taxpayer funds and tying federal money to compliance with new rules.

These efforts have often met resistance in court. Harvard University, in particular, became the face of opposition by challenging the administration directly through litigation.

The standoff with Harvard has played out over months, with the school and the White House negotiating behind closed doors.

The administration has insisted that Harvard pay a $500 million settlement in order to resolve its disputes with the federal government and secure the return of frozen funding.

Trump publicly discussed the arrangement during a Cabinet meeting, telling Education Secretary Linda McMahon he would accept “nothing less.”

On Tuesday, Trump said that a deal with Harvard was nearing completion.

The agreement, he explained, would involve Harvard setting up a series of trade schools funded by the $500 million settlement.

“They’ll be teaching people how to do AI and lots of other things, engines, lots of things,” Trump said, outlining the kinds of programs envisioned.

He described the structure as “a big investment in trade school done by very smart people, and then their sins are forgiven.”

During an Oval Office event on pediatric cancer, Trump mentioned that the administration was “very close” to finalizing the deal.

Addressing McMahon directly, he said, “I guess we reached a deal with Harvard today, so we’ll see. What you have to do is paper it, right, Linda?”

The president later repeated that the agreement had not yet been signed but insisted both sides were nearly finished with negotiations.

“This is something that we’re close to finalizing. We haven’t done it yet, but they put up $500 million interest, and everything else would go to that account, meaning, go to the trade school.”

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Clark Kelley

3 Comments

  4. Dem Gov Threatens To Cut Funding From Schools That Bow To White House

    Correction: Newsome threatens state funding to Schools that stop violating Federal law, as affirmed by the Supreme Court.

    Reply

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