Entangled Finances: Federal Funding and University Ethics

The Trump administration’s fight with elite universities might be its toughest yet because it’s about money—federal research funds that have been given to major universities for decades. On the most recent podcast of The Drill Down, host Peter Schweizer approves of the effort: “We say that’s a good thing.” President Donald Trump’s budget hawks seek to cut wasteful spending, but that is only part of their goal. What they really want is to see elite universities return to merit-based admissions and viewpoint diversity in faculty and students, an end to campus antisemitism and elimination of so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.