Sen Mike Lee targets university grants, cites 'woke DEI programs,' anti-Israel riots

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is taking connected assemblage subsidies from nan national authorities arsenic diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs grow and schools suffer power complete antisemitic protests and riots crossed nan country.

The Utah Republican introduced nan No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities Act successful nan Senate connected Thursday, pinch Freedom Caucus personnel Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., introducing a companion type successful nan House.

"The taxation dollars of hardworking American families are going to ultra-wealthy universities, for illustration Columbia and Harvard, supporting woke DEI programs while churning retired graduates who despise our state and riot for nan destruction of Israel," Lee said successful a connection to Fox News Digital.

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Sen. Mike Lee is targeting subsidies for prestigious universities and specifically scrutinizing really overhead costs are used. (Reuters | Getty Images)

The senator's measure would reside nan rumor of subsidies and grants being utilized to bolster DEI and facilitate them by scrutinizing what are referred to arsenic indirect costs reimbursements. While nonstop costs are easy tracked and are utilized for items specified arsenic laboratory equipment, indirect costs are much difficult to foretell and see nan carrying retired of specified grants.

Lee's measurement looks to destruct nan indirect costs reimbursements connected these national subsidies for investigation for immoderate universities that boast endowments greater than $5 billion. For those pinch endowments little than $5 cardinal but still much than $2 billion, they would beryllium capped astatine 8%. All different institutions would look a 15% headdress for nan indirect costs.

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He said that nan accent being placed connected DEI astatine U.S. universities, arsenic good arsenic nan existent anti-Israel protests and riots, prompted nan legislation, slamming some arsenic "a disgrace."

After reviewing America’s apical 100 colleges and universities, CriticalRace.org recovered that 48 schools connection DEI certificate programs. (Adobe Stock)

"If they want to trash their reputations arsenic world institutions, they tin do truthful connected their ain dime," Lee said.

In his ain statement, Cline said, "Billions successful payer dollars intended for technological investigation astatine able universities, for illustration Columbia and Harvard, are being hijacked to finance extremist DEI agendas."

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Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

"This misuse of costs is simply a blatant betrayal of American taxpayers. Congress has a work to intervene, ensuring that these dollars are dedicated to morganatic investigation purposes, not to beforehand nan Left's governmental doctrine connected our campuses," he wrote. 

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The measure would specifically target nan usage of indirect costs reported for compensation to DEI unit by requiring nan magnitude for this intent to beryllium reported to Congress annually. 

A student examines a damaged doorway astatine Hamilton Hall astatine Columbia University, New York City, connected April 30, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Columbia University, which has been nan taxable of nationalist media attraction for nan past 2 weeks owed to an anti-Israel encampment that efficaciously unopen down nan New York school, racked up nan astir successful indirect costs associated pinch investigation grants. The Ivy League schoolhouse received $471 cardinal successful fiscal 2022, per calculations made by nan Heritage Foundation, a blimpish deliberation tank, citing national data.

Under Lee's proposal, nan schoolhouse would beryllium required to study really overmuch of this money is going to DEI administrators.