- Republicans threaten to cut federal funds for colleges over pro-Palestinian protests
- House Majority Leader Scalise outlines plans to revoke accreditation of universities
- A second Trump administration would implement stricter controls on campus speech
Top Republicans are threatening to withhold billions of dollars in federal money from some of the most prestigious colleges in the United States, depriving them of formal accreditation as punishment for allowing pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses.
A video recording of a meeting in Washington examined last week between House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and the powerful pro-Israel lobby group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In it, Scalise described his intention to launch a huge offensive on universities that failed to suppress criticism of Israel.
The effort, which would be coordinated with the White House if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November, might even jeopardize the existence of colleges, Scalise claimed. He discussed removing accreditation, the process by which higher education institutions are recognized and to which the majority of federal monies are attached.
“Your accreditation is on the line,” Scalise stated. “You’re not playing games any more, or else you’re not a school any more.”
Scalise and his Republican colleague, Texas Congressman Pat Fallon, attended the AIPAC meeting on October 1. The program was promoted as a debate on the development of antisemitism in the United States since the commencement of the Gaza battle on October 7, last year, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250.
The bombing sparked Israel’s offensive, which has destroyed much of Palestinian territory and killed about 42,000 people, according to local health officials. The fallout continues to roil colleges and localities across the United States.
According to the most recent FBI data, the number of hate crimes against Jews in the United States increased from 103 in September 2023 to 389 in November. Anti-Muslim incidents have also increased.
Despite the Aipac-Scalise meeting’s focus on antisemitism, the majority of the discussion was about how to silence criticism of Israel’s military operation in Gaza. Throughout the hour-long talk, no attempt was made to discriminate between Jewish hatred and pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli government emotions.
Aipac is the most important pro-Israel lobbying organization in the United States. It has a $100 million war chest to spend on this year’s election. It is used to assist political candidates who favour the Israeli government’s activities while opposing those who oppose it.
This summer, AIPAC spent $23 million in primary elections to defeat two core members of the progressive Democratic party known as the “squad,” Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri. The two had called for a cease-fire in Gaza and underlined the civilian death toll.
Fallon complimented Aipac for intervening in the contest. I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for firing Jamaal Bowman and especially Miss Cori Bush. “Great job,” he said.
“That’s accountability, by the way,” Scalise continued. He also praised Aipac for having “tentacles throughout Republican and Democratic circles in 435 districts.” “You can see how people vote; just put pressure on those who vote incorrectly.”
Scalise reserved his most forceful threats for campuses that he believes have failed to quell anti-Israel protesters. He warned Aipac that a second Trump government would use federal funds to punish the schools.
“We’re looking into government funding, federal funds that go via the scientific committee, and student loans. Scalise added, “You have a lot of jurisdiction as president, with all of these different agencies involving billions of dollars, some of which go to just one school.”
The Louisiana congressman is the House’s second-ranking Republican. He has travelled to Israel multiple times on excursions sponsored by the American Israel Education Fund, a group founded by AIPAC.
Scalise singled out Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University, which have all been shaken by the issue around student protests over the Gaza conflict. Penn’s president, Elizabeth Magill, resigned in December, and Harvard’s Claudine Gay followed a month later after being accused of being evasive in response to Republican questions about how they would respond to cries for Jewish extermination.
Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, resigned in August after facing criticism for her handling of pro-Palestinian protest encampments.
Scalise chastised the former university presidents at the AIPAC meeting for living in a bubble where Palestinians were portrayed as the truly persecuted people. “You start siding with a terrorist organization, and you think that’s mainstream because all your friends are in this little bubble, and I don’t know who you’re talking to – you’re sure not talking to normal people any more,” he told the audience.
The congressman went on to criticize Jewish students who participate in pro-Palestinian protests, claiming they “just feel guilty that they’re alive.” I’m not sure how you came to feel like, ‘I’m a Jewish student, and I’m on the side of terrorists who want to kill me.'”
Scalise stated that Republicans were determined to tackle anti-Israel marches, which he described as “disgusting” and “unacceptable in America”. We’re bringing legislation to the floor to continue to confront it, to stand up against it, to show we support Israel,” he told reporters.
The Republicans aim to utilize House oversight powers to examine colleges for suspected civil rights breaches. Scalise informed Aipac that any college found to have violated the law will have its accreditation revoked.
“If there is a change in administration, President Trump has made it clear from the start that if an institution violates its students’ civil rights, it will lose accreditation. “We have that ability,” he explained.
Under the current system, the majority of government funds travel to higher education institutions through student loans, which are then subject to formal approval of the school’s academic and other requirements, often known as accreditation. That clearance is awarded by 19 accrediting agencies, which are independent bodies recognized by the United States Education Secretary.
Under a second Trump administration, the education department may decertify accrediting agencies that promote liberal rules on campus speech in favour of agencies that take a more stringent approach. Republicans may effectively punish colleges by removing their accreditation, which may have serious implications.
“If accreditation becomes a political tool, then the concern is that it will be used ideologically to punish particular views on campus, threatening free inquiry, which is the bedrock of universities,” said Mark Criley of the American Association of University Professors.
The ideas being developed by top congressional Republicans are consistent with Trump’s vision of a second term. In his plan for a comeback to the White House, Agenda 47, he states that “our secret weapon will be the college accreditation system”.
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He promises that once in the White House, “I will fire the radical left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics.” He would then appoint new accreditors who would preserve “the American tradition and Western civilization” and eliminate “all Marxist diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucrats”.
“We are going to have real education in America,” Trump announced.
JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential running partner, has adopted a similarly strong stance, branding universities “the enemy” in a 2021 speech. He stated that he would “aggressively attack the universities in this country”.
In May, Vance introduced the Encampments or Endowments Act in the United States Senate. If implemented, it would require institutions to remove protest encampments from campus grounds within seven days or lose all federal funds.
David Cole, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), expressed grave concern about the Republican vengeance against institutions over pro-Palestinian marches. “That is viewpoint discrimination at its root. It is a fundamental violation of academic freedom and would raise severe constitutional concerns.
