President Trump put a halt to Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which has had a particular impact on Haitians; tried in vain to restrict birthright citizenship; then renewed his appeal to the Supreme Court to limit voting by mail; and moved to redefine wetlands protected under the Clean Water Act. Now his latest target is the release of new rules that would revoke tax-exempt status from any school support to Black or any other minority students.
In effect, this is just another attempt to illegally reshape education from his perspective. By placing the issue in the purview of the I.R.S., the Trump administration has found another angle to do away with what he perceives as programs denying white and Asian students.
Already gearing up is a push back against the new rules, and we join our voice to that of Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, who has been steadfast in his challenges to Trump’s policies.
The union was successful in blocking the Trump administration’s cuts to research funding at the University of California, Los Angeles. Wolfson defined the current attack as a “blatantly racist political coercion intended to deny minority students reparative opportunities to further their education.”
There is nothing new about these measures to stifle anything related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The proposed regulations are vague and there’s no clear understanding of how the I.R.S. would evaluate which policies or school activities actually are discriminatory.
Of course, such details are meaningless to the Trump administration. By weaponizing the I.R.S., they hope to get the outcome they seek.
Yes, we’ve been up this creek before. Let’s hope we have enough paddles in the water to turn back another egregious proposition.
