Axios · Donald Trump · U.S. · US Senate · Axios
Trump's higher ed shakeup starts a new semester
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Students are returning to campus as the Trump administration continues to reshape American academia.
Key facts
- The all-of-government squeeze on higher education continues a 19-month battle that has brought scrutiny of international collaboration, threats to research funding, litigation and possible
- The Senate's bipartisan stopgap measure would temporarily block the rule, which critics warn would undermine merit, innovation and international collaboration
- The Education Department also proposed a new framework intended to "break up entrenched accreditation monopolies" and speed review for new accreditors
- After the administration's cuts and freezes last year rocked research, universities and advocates are raising red flags about an OMB proposal to overhaul federal grant-making
Summary
The administration has leveraged federal education funding and threatened litigation against universities deemed misaligned with policy priorities, moves critics say subject academia to political whims. The all-of-government squeeze on higher education continues a 19-month battle that has brought scrutiny of international collaboration, threats to research funding, litigation and possible accreditation overhauls. "It was an earthquake in January of 2025," says Stuart Shapiro, the dean of Rutgers' School of Planning and Public Policy who worked in the Office of Management and Budget. "We're still living with that," he says.