In 2017, Donald Trump signed a law placing a 1.4 percent tax on the net income of university endowments that exceed $500,000 per student. Drew Faust, then the president of Harvard University, decried the tax as “a blow at the strength of American higher education.” If Republicans have their way during a second Trump term, that tax will be only the beginning.
Trump has vowed to transform higher education accrediting bodies, in part to ensure that universities remove “wasteful administrative positions,” especially those tied to DEI initiatives. Trump has also stated his intention to bring cases against universities that are found to be in violation of civil-rights law (say, by creating a hostile environment for Jewish students). Schools found to be in violation could be “fined up to the entire amount of their endowment,” according to Trump.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have announced their…
