During a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) spoke about the Trump Administration’s actions within the higher education sector.
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00:00We now recognize the gentleman from Georgia for five minutes.
00:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let's be clear, everybody.
00:08There is no 568 antitrust exemption, thanks to the Biden administration.
00:14And as far as Mr. Xi's testimony is concerned,
00:21Brown did not discipline Mr. Xi, contrary to his report.
00:28And also, Mr. Xi's numbers in terms of administration staff for Brown University are incorrect.
00:36And I'm surprised that you would pull up the ladder for students who are going to regular universities and colleges,
00:46prevent them from getting financial aid. That's crazy.
00:50But at any rate, you know, Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican supporters in Congress
00:57are attacking our elite institutions of higher learning because these institutions and others
01:04produce the critical thinkers who stand opposed to the global trend towards authoritarianism and dictatorship,
01:12which Donald Trump and MAGA represent.
01:16They say this hearing is about eight Ivy League institutions and the cost of higher education,
01:23but that is just a facade.
01:26This is really about Trump's war on facts, debate, and truth.
01:31This is Trump's attack on academia, which comes straight out of the authoritarian playbook.
01:39Universities are full of smart, young, engaged people,
01:44and the institutions are committed to freedom of inquiry and diversity of thought.
01:49Universities provide independent sources of information and accountability.
01:54Indeed, individuals with higher levels of education are less likely to be tricked by authoritarian appeals.
02:01So any autocrat or dictator who wants to exercise limitless, arbitrary power sees independent institutions of higher education as a threat.
02:13After all, Donald Trump can't replace our democracy with a dictatorial regime
02:19if the people are smart enough to recognize that he is a threat to freedom, liberty, and justice,
02:25which our democracy guarantees.
02:27Dr. Morgan, I believe that academia is inextricably tied to our democracy and to our liberty.
02:37Can you talk about why higher education is important for the protection of freedom and democracy?
02:45Absolutely.
02:46You know, first of all, our institutions of higher learning are places where people come together
02:51and learn and have to, you know, kind of be in the same place as people with different opinions.
02:55So it really promotes democratic values from the start.
02:59But to your point, universities can also be a place of free inquiry that can result in, you know,
03:06information that can oppose or point out flaws in larger societal trends or political trends.
03:12So they can be really important voices in our societies.
03:17They're also places that produce research that can help us better understand what's happening in the world around us,
03:25including what's happening, the kind of effects of the negative changes that a presidential administration might be putting in place.
03:33So they're incredibly important to our democracy and to our society.
03:37As a lawyer, I've watched with horror as a number of law firms bent a knee and succumbed to Donald Trump's unlawful pressure campaign.
03:46But I'm proud of the brave firms that chose to stand up for the rule of law.
03:52Now, as Trump goes after the universities, I'm equally concerned.
03:56In March, Columbia University caved to Trump's demands when the administration threatened to yank away $400 million in federal funding.
04:06Yet, more recently, Harvard is showing backbone in rejecting Trump's demands.
04:13Dr. Morgan, why is it important that universities stand up against the administration's attacks?
04:20And conversely, what would happen if universities succumbed and started towing the line for this administration?
04:28Yeah, I think it's incredibly important that universities follow the law but do not submit to demands that have nothing to do with their legal requirements.
04:37You can see in the attacks on Harvard and the kind of proposed solutions from the Trump administration
04:43that they're looking to really control the minutia of the decisions at those colleges.
04:49That's not an appropriate role for the federal government to take.
04:52I think the other thing that's important to understand here is that other universities are going to take their cues
04:58from what these much better-resourced institutions are able to do in terms of standing up to the administration.
05:05So it's really important for those universities that have the resources to do so to take a stand.
05:10So attacking elite institutions is a canary in the coal mine.
05:15That's right.
05:15All institutions of higher learning are under attack.
05:19That's right.
05:21With that, I yield back.
05:23Gentleman yields back.
05:24Now recognize the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Jordan, for five minutes.
05:27Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:28Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:29Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:29Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:29Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:30Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:30Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:30Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:30Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:30Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:31Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:32Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:32Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:33Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:34Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?
05:34Mr. Hsieh, what did you say?