Administration: ‘The American public deserves responsible stewardship of federal dollars’
Students, faculty, and staff of the University of California (UC) system, along with educator unions. filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration over the federal funding cuts affecting the UC system.
Federal agencies have alleged UC campuses failed to address antisemitism and have continued to engage in racial discrimination in their admissions processes. The Trump administration has already cut more than $500 million in federal funding from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and recently proposed a settlement deal with a $1.2 billion price tag. The University of California system itself is not a party to the lawsuit.
“The President’s attempt to require that universities conform to his worldview is un-American and unconstitutional,” the lawsuit reads. “Through a series of actions targeting institutions of higher education, the Trump administration is attempting to coerce colleges and universities across the country to do what the Trump administration cannot do directly itself: infringe on the speech rights of faculty, academic and other staff, and students.”
The court document opens by comparing the Trump administration to the “fascism [that] raged throughout Europe” during World War II, saying the federal government is using “a scheme of targeting, bullying, and unconstitutional actions aimed at institutions of higher education across the country.
