Newsom to Cut Funding for Universities Complying with Trump Education Crackdown

California Governor Gavin Newsom is threatening to withhold state funding from any California university that agrees to the Trump administration's “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” according to Forbes. This agreement proposes offering universities financial incentives in exchange for implementing specific policy changes. The compact, disseminated to select leading U.S. universities, stipulates that institutions freeze tuition for five years, reinstate the SAT requirement for applicants, and prohibit the consideration of race and sex in hiring and admissions processes, among other stipulations. The document acknowledges that institutions may decline federal benefits if they choose not to comply. The University of Southern California (USC) is reportedly the only California institution to have received this offer. In response, Governor Newsom asserted that he would rescind state funding, including Cal Grants for California residents, from any state school that accepts the compact's terms, characterizing them as a "hostile takeover of America’s universities."