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 the national authorities arsenic diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs grow and schools suffer power implicit antisemitic protests and riots crossed the country.

The Utah Republican introduced the No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities Act successful the Senate connected Thursday, with Freedom Caucus subordinate Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., introducing a companion mentation successful the House.

"The taxation dollars of hardworking American families are going to ultra-wealthy universities, similar Columbia and Harvard, supporting woke DEI programs portion churning retired graduates who despise our state and riot for the 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 however overhead costs are used. (Reuters | Getty Images)

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

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

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He said that the accent being placed connected DEI astatine U.S. universities, arsenic good arsenic the existent anti-Israel protests and riots, prompted the 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 privation to trash their reputations arsenic world institutions, they tin bash truthful connected their ain dime," Lee said.

In his ain statement, Cline said, "Billions successful payer dollars intended for technological probe astatine affluent universities, similar Columbia and Harvard, are being hijacked to concern extremist DEI agendas."

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

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

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

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

Under Lee's proposal, the schoolhouse would beryllium required to study however overmuch of this wealth is going to DEI administrators.