Sen. Mike Lee wants to cut funds for universities because of certain programs and riots.
Senator Mike Lee from Utah has taken a bold stance against federal subsidies for universities amid the expansion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that have led to chaos on campuses nationwide. In response to the growing lack of control over antisemitic protests and riots at universities, Senator Lee introduced the No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities Act in the Senate, with Representative Ben Cline from Virginia presenting a companion version in the House. Senator Roger Marshall from Kansas has also co-sponsored the measure.
Senator Lee’s bill aims to address the misuse of subsidies and grants that support DEI programs by focusing on how overhead costs are utilized. While direct costs are easily monitored and used for specific items like lab equipment, indirect costs are more challenging to track and encompass the execution of these grants.
The proposed legislation by Senator Lee targets the elimination of indirect cost reimbursements on federal subsidies for research for universities with endowments exceeding $5 billion. For universities with endowments between $2 billion and $5 billion, the indirect costs would be capped at 8%. All other institutions would face a 15% cap on indirect costs.
Senator Lee cited the emphasis on DEI programs at U.S. universities and the recent anti-Israel protests and riots as catalysts for the legislation, labeling both as “a disgrace.”
Following a review of the top 100 colleges and universities in the U.S., CriticalRace.org revealed that 48 institutions offer DEI certificate programs. Senator Lee expressed his disapproval, stating, “If they want to tarnish their academic reputations, they can do so at their own expense.”
Representative Cline echoed Senator Lee’s sentiment, denouncing the diversion of taxpayer dollars meant for scientific research towards radical DEI agendas at prestigious universities like Columbia and Harvard.
“This misallocation of funds amounts to a betrayal of American taxpayers. Congress must step in to ensure that these funds are used for legitimate research purposes rather than advancing the Left’s political agenda on college campuses,” Representative Cline asserted.
The proposed bill specifically targets the reporting of indirect costs used for compensating DEI staff by mandating annual reporting of these expenses to Congress.
One prominent example highlighted under Senator Lee’s proposal is Columbia University, which has recently garnered national attention due to an anti-Israel encampment that disrupted activities at the New York institution. According to calculations by the Heritage Foundation, Columbia University collected $471 million in indirect costs related to research grants in fiscal 2022.
Under Senator Lee’s legislation, Columbia University would be obligated to disclose the portion of these funds allocated to DEI administrators.
