WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 President Donald Trump has ordered sharper scrutiny of America鈥檚 colleges and the accreditors that oversee them, part of his escalating campaign to end what he calls " wokeness 鈥 and diversity efforts in education.
In a series of executive actions signed Wednesday, Trump targeted universities that he views as liberal adversaries to his political agenda. One order called for harder enforcement of a federal law requiring colleges to disclose their financial ties with foreign sources, while another called for a shakeup of the accrediting bodies that decide whether colleges can accept federal financial aid awarded to students.
Colleges鈥 financial ties with foreign sources have long been a concern among Republicans, especially ties with China and other countries with adversarial relationships with the U.S. It became a priority during Trump鈥檚 first term and reemerged last week as the White House grasped for leverage in its .
The White House said it needed to take action because Harvard and other colleges have routinely violated a federal disclosure law, which has been unevenly enforced since it was passed in the 1980s. Known as Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, the law requires colleges to disclose foreign gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more.
In the executive order, Trump calls on the Education Department and the attorney general to step up enforcement of the law and take action against colleges that violate it, including a cutoff of .
The Trump administration intends to 鈥渆nd the secrecy surrounding foreign funds in American educational institutions鈥 and protect against 鈥渇oreign exploitation,鈥 the order said.
It was applauded by Republicans, including Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan, chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. He accused China of exploiting academic ties to steal research and 鈥渋ndoctrinate students.鈥
Another order aims at accrediting bodies that set standards colleges must meet to accept federal financial aid from students. Trump campaigned on a promise to overhaul the industry, saying it was 鈥渄ominated by Marxist Maniacs and lunatics.鈥
Often overlooked as an obscure branch of college oversight, accreditors play an important role in shaping colleges in many aspects, with standards that apply all the way from colleges鈥 governing boards to classroom curriculum.
Trump's executive order is the opening salvo in what could be a lengthy battle to overhaul the accrediting industry. Chief among his priorities is to strip accreditors of diversity, equity and inclusion requirements imposed on colleges. Some accreditors have already dropped or stopped enforcing such standards amid Trump鈥檚 .
Trump鈥檚 order calls on the government to suspend or terminate accreditors that discriminate in the name of DEI. Instead, it calls on accreditors to focus more squarely on the student outcomes of colleges and programs they oversee.
The president wants to make it easier for new accreditors to compete with the 19 that are now authorized to work on behalf of the federal government. As it stands, new accreditors looking to be recognized by the government must undergo an arduous process that traditionally takes years. Trump鈥檚 order said it should be 鈥渢ransparent, efficient, and not unduly burdensome.鈥
鈥淚nstead of pushing schools to adopt a divisive DEI ideology, accreditors should be focused on helping schools improve graduation rates and graduates鈥 performance in the labor market,鈥 Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
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