Trump Could Punish Universities By Executive Order

If the head of the Berkeley College Republicans could figure this one out, someone in the White House may already have. “In 1941, Executive Order 8807 authorized the federal government to subcontract research projects to universities,” Bradley Devlin writes. “This waned the government’s extensive control over scientific research and helped the government scrap wasteful projects.”

“To this day, universities fiercely compete for federal research grants. The American Enterprise Institute reports ‘Washington spent almost $130 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2015 on R&D’ from a host of government agencies. ‘Nearly $38 billion of which went to higher education institutions,’ the report reads, and these ‘taxpayer-funded research grants constitute some of the most sought-after dollars in higher education.’ Congress has the authority to target these research funds to ensure college administrators are upholding their student’s constitutional rights.”

Executive orders can usually be rescinded by executive orders.

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