As of late Wednesday night, Republicans have officially maintained a majority in the House. Republicans will maintain control over House and gain the White House and Senate.
On the campaign trail higher education had considerable focus. President-elect Trump has suggested plans to eliminate the Department of Education. In his previous term, Trump proposed merging the Departments of Education and Labor, but Congress ultimately did not enact the idea.
Echoing the House Republican’s efforts over the last year, Trump’s plans to curb woke ideology in higher education will likely remain a top priority for the Administration. While Trump is limited in his ability to immediately cut off funds to universities, there are a number of other avenues the President may use to push back against DEI initiatives and other programs that he has deemed Marxist and leftist.
Trump has suggested using the military to crackdown on student protests on campuses and using civil-rights laws to challenge the teaching of critical race theory. Another tool that the Trump Administration has said they will consider using is the accreditation system. Many are predicting he may shift some of the responsibilities of accreditors to the Department of Education, where he could exert more influence.
Other plans floated by the incoming Trump Administration include increasing the tax on university endowments, ending President Biden’s student-debt forgiveness program, and using Title IX to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.