Higher education is in for a “big existential fight” to defend current funding levels in fiscal year 2026. But the sector’s collective voice is stronger than many might think, said Jonathan Fansmith, assistant vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education, in a webinar hosted by the public policy advocacy nonprofit last week.
“There will be efforts to eliminate things we have understood to be bedrocks for decades,” he said. “There’s both fear but also optimism that this is a moment to rally and I think people are beginning to do that.”
Ted Mitchell, president of ACE, noted that despite the executive branch’s success thus far in shrinking funding and support for higher education, Congress members responsible for passing the federal budget are beholden to the concerns of voters.
“Members of Congress are starting to feel vulnerable,” he said. “It says something when the speaker of the house tells party members to stop talking to their constituents. That might work for a week, but that’s not going to work through the midterms.”
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Congress passed a continuing resolution to retain funding levels through fiscal year 2025. Come next year, however, higher education is at risk of taking a huge hit. The massive layoffs at the Department of Education may help members rationalize funding cuts (if the agency still exists).
Panelists attending ACE’s dotEDU Live webinar highlighted two simple yet powerful ways everyone can take an offensive foot to safeguard higher education’s place in the federal budget.
Focus on fighting local
Campus leaders must tell their local representatives how the Trump administration’s policy overhauls are impacting higher education, Fansmith said.
“The administration has been relatively clever so far trying to hide cuts that go to individual benefits, but it’s beginning to resonate. We’re hearing from members of Congress and their staff that [constituents are saying] this is having an impact on their communities.”
The federal government has already reversed course on several of its actions following scrutiny from elected officials. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) helped reinstate funding to the University of Maine System after the Department of Agriculture began investigating the university’s compliance with Title VI and Title IX, Maine Public reports. The Office of Management and Budget also unfroze federal grant programs following intervention from state lawmakers.
Institutions should also inform lawmakers about how the loss of federal contracts and grants hurts the wider community, Mitchell said. “The people being held hostage are the American citizens who receive their rural healthcare from a consortium of colleges and universities.”
Broaden the base of allies outside of higher education
Higher education leaders must coordinate efforts to push back against President Donald Trump’s policies with stakeholders outside the sector, Mitchell said. “We have plenty of allies inside, but we are working to develop allyship outside as well to develop a full-court press on our members of Congress.”
He suggested working with technology companies who are worried cuts to the National Institute of Health will hamper biomedical research.
Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber recently wrote a column in The Atlantic explaining how funding cuts to research universities can hurt the country’s prosperity, health and security.
