Gavin Newsom threatens to 'instantly' cut funds from schools that sign Trump's compact
The administration of President Donald Trump issued the higher education compact to nine schools initially, although the proposed program is facing some pushback.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is warning universities in his state not to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s latest higher education initiative, threatening to strip them of state funding if they sign on.
The Trump administration unveiled its “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” this week to nine universities, offering the institutions access to lucrative federal grants and preferential treatment if they agree to a sweeping set of reforms.
The compact bans race and sex preferences in admissions and hiring, requires a five-year tuition freeze, caps international enrollment, reinstates standardized testing, and seeks to end grade inflation. It also calls for abolishing departments accused of fostering hostility toward conservative viewpoints and ensuring that campuses maintain a true marketplace of ideas.
In return, participating schools would enjoy “substantial” federal grants, access to White House events, and direct consultation with administration officials. Invitations to join the first round were sent to MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Southern California.
Newsom, however, called the plan a “radical agreement” and said California will not tolerate universities that sign it.
“IF ANY CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY SIGNS THIS RADICAL AGREEMENT, THEY’LL LOSE BILLIONS IN STATE FUNDING — INCLUDING CAL GRANTS — INSTANTLY,” Newsom said in a statement Thursday.
The Democratic governor accused the White House of trying to stage a “hostile takeover” of higher education by forcing conservative policies onto colleges and dictating how they spend their own endowments.
The standoff underscores the growing national clash between state leaders defending progressive policies on diversity and inclusion, and a federal administration pushing reforms that prioritize affordability and accountability.
While Columbia and Brown have already accepted multimillion-dollar settlements under Trump’s education crackdown, Harvard remains in court fighting the administration over nearly $1 billion in frozen research funding.
With California’s governor vowing to punish any institution that cooperates, USC and other state schools invited to join the compact could soon find themselves forced to choose between federal dollars and state support.
