REP. AUGUST PFLUGER: Public Dollars, Private Castles: Restoring Accountability For The Ivory Tower |
What began as a well-intentioned initiative has, over time, become a system exploited by elitist academic institutions. In the 1940s, private universities began receiving federal funds to support wartime research. Then, the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the G.I. Bill, expanded support for returning soldiers by helping them attend college, buy homes, and find stable jobs — contributions that helped drive the post-war economic boom.
As the Cold War escalated, federal investment in universities grew, aimed at driving scientific progress and countering the Soviet threat. In 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued an executive order calling on the federal government to bolster its investment in science, research, and higher education more broadly. Johnson’s directive also paved the way for initiatives like Pell Grants, which helped eligible low-income students to cover the rising cost of tuition, books, and living expenses.
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 17: A person runs past Dunster House at Harvard University on March 17, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Over time, universities became increasingly reliant on a steady stream of federal dollars, while the government grew dependent on universities to develop the workforce and produce research. What began as a mutually beneficial relationship has morphed into gross abuse of taxpayer dollars.
Within the last decade, federal funding to private institutions of higher education has skyrocketed. According to the New York Times, American universities spent “$60 billion in federal money on research and development in fiscal year 2023 alone, which is more than 30 times as much as what they spent in the early 1950s [adjusted for inflation].” Antisemitic acts against Jewish students have increased by 700 percent during this same period. Wealthy private universities have grown accustomed to endless federal subsidies in the form of research dollars while failing to live up to both the law and their end of the bargain.
In the wake of the unprovoked, barbaric attacks against Israel on October 7th, 2023, many of these so-called elite universities repeatedly failed to protect the safety and civil rights of their Jewish students.
The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs. The Trump Administration issued a vital executive order to combat antisemitism on college campuses and protect Jewish students. Despite these positive steps, widespread harassment of Jewish students at dozens of universities across the country has persisted. Yet, when asked about whether advocating for the genocide of Jews violated their school’s code of conduct in an official hearing, university officials from Harvard, Penn, and MIT refused to answer the question. (RELATED: HART: The Department Of Education Should Be ‘DOGE’-ed)
These same elitist universities are claiming that the Trump Administration is threatening their academic freedom. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the Administration’s letter to Harvard clearly articulated the reasonable conditions required to continue receiving billions in taxpayer support. These common-sense conditions include admitting students and hiring staff based on merit and holding students accountable for hostile and discriminatory acts.
These requests certainly do not limit free speech — they strengthen and protect it. Yet Harvard is pushing back, even filing a lawsuit against the Administration in April. Unlike public universities, private institutions aren’t subject to the same transparency requirements —yet they still receive billions in federal dollars. This raises real concerns about how those funds are used. Imagine your mom gave you money for milk and bread, but you came home with candy and a chocolate bar instead. You would almost certainly face some sort of consequence. That’s exactly what the Administration is trying to do: hold universities accountable.
No one is saying that schools should abandon free speech or expression. What they are saying is that you don’t get to enjoy the benefits of federal funding without holding up your end of the bargain. To that end: Harvard’s President Alan Garber would rather risk billions in federal funding than admit fault.
Taxpayers invest heavily into higher education. Yet, elite private universities like Harvard have spent that money with little oversight. The Trump White House is right to demand accountability. (RELATED: VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Is The Jig Up For Elite Higher Education?)
If Yale or Harvard want to forgo federal dollars and raise their annual tuition rates – already averaging more than $80,000 per year – to avoid government oversight, then so be it. However, other schools, like Columbia, have taken a different approach. Columbia proactively responded to the Administration’s concerns by updating its protest policies, improving campus security, and reassessing its Middle Eastern studies program.
So, the question is: If Columbia can balance academic freedom with accountability … why can’t Harvard?
It’s time for elitist universities to put their money where their mouth is: either demonstrate an unwavering commitment to fighting ALL forms of discrimination — or forfeit every penny of taxpayer funding. Americans deserve schools that uphold our values, not just cash our checks.