SLC Times

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced the No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities Act, a new bill aimed at addressing the misuse of taxpayer dollars in higher education. The legislation is designed to target institutions that engage in administrative bloat and promote ideological agendas under the guise of education.

In response to recent incidents of violence and antisemitic rhetoric on college campuses, Sen. Lee's bill has gained support from Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), with Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA) leading the companion effort in the House of Representatives.

Sen. Lee's legislation specifically focuses on eliminating indirect cost reimbursements for universities with endowments exceeding $5 billion and imposing strict accountability measures on how these institutions utilize taxpayer funds, particularly in their administrative and diversity departments.

“The tax dollars of hard-working American families are going to ultra-wealthy universities, like Columbia and Harvard, supporting woke DEI programs while churning out graduates who riot for the destruction of Israel and desecrate the American flag,” said Sen. Lee. “It is a disgrace, which is why I introduced legislation to cut off certain public funding streams to the richest universities. If they want to trash their reputations as academic institutions, they can do it on their own dime.”

Rep. Cline also expressed concerns about the misuse of taxpayer funds, stating, “Billions in taxpayer dollars intended for scientific research at wealthy universities, like Columbia and Harvard, are being hijacked to finance radical DEI agendas. This misuse of funds is a blatant betrayal of American taxpayers.”

Sen. Lee's bill proposes capping indirect cost reimbursements at a maximum of 8% for institutions with endowments between $2 billion and $5 billion and at 15% for all others. Additionally, the legislation requires institutions receiving federal grant money to disclose the allocation of funds towards diversity, equity, and inclusion staffing, promoting transparency and accountability in fund utilization.

The No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities Act has received endorsement from Heritage Action, a conservative advocacy group, highlighting growing support for the bill among certain sectors.