Trump signs order to press colleges on free speech
of dollars,” ident added.
Trump said “This order is part of the in a White Trump Administration’s WASHINGTON — Frustrated House cer- administrative and legisby opposition on some colemony. lative efforts to support a lege campuses to conservative Flanked focus on student outcomes speakers, President Donald by conser- and improve transparency, Trump on Thursday signed vative activaccountability, and affordabilan executive order, which ists who ity in postsecondary educathreatens to take away fedhave run tion,” the White House said eral research grant money afoul of protests at college in a statement. from colleges and universities and university campuses, The president had raised if those schools don’t guar- Trump made clear that he this matter earlier in the antee First Amendment prowants new opportunities for month, during an appeartections for those who want their voices to be heard. ance at the Conservative Polit- to speak on campus. “Universities that want taxical Action Conference just
“We’re dealing with bil- payer dollars should prooutside Washington, D.C. lions and billions and billions mote free speech,” the pres- It was not immediately clear how the Thursday signing would change the current landscape governing money being sent to schools by the feds, as there are already requirements to uphold the First Amendment.
In a conference call with reporters, a senior administration official refused to give hints about how the requirement would be enforced differently going forward.
“I won’t get into imple- mentation details,” the offi- cial said, repeatedly deflecting questions about how the plan would work.
“But schools are already supposed to be following these rules,” as the official said “the goal of the order is to promote free speech more broadly across college campuses.”
The plan drew immediate fire from critics.
“President Trump’s concept of free speech is speech that he agrees with, which is, in fact, the antithesis of what the First Amendment seeks to protect,” said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers union.
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