President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday evening targeting the accreditation process for universities and colleges that do not adhere to the requirements of the federal Civil Rights Act.
Trump asked Education Secretary Linda McMahon to hold accreditors who violate federal law accountable “through denial, monitoring, suspension, or termination of accreditation recognition.”
Under the Trump administration, certain universities may be chosen to receive billions of dollars in federal loans and Pell grants based on whether they defy the administration via policies like those focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or breach Title IX regulations.
At the ceremony, McMahon stated that the executive order aims to tackle the matter of meritocracy.
"We ought to focus on admitting individuals with genuine merit, and we must scrutinize more closely those institutions that aren’t upholding these standards," McMahon stated.
The executive order has been issued as the Trump administration is currently combating DEI requirements. A Defending Education report unveiled that over 240 higher education institutions still maintain their DEI offices, frequently altering the titles of these offices or programs to circumvent repercussions, despite Trump’s March executive order.
During the Biden administration, at least a dozen Educational organizations established accreditation requirements that mandated higher education institutions adopt DEI standards.
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"Higher education accrediting bodies act as gatekeepers, determining which colleges and universities American students can use for spending over $100 billion annually from federal student loans and Pell Grants disbursed every year," stated President Trump’s executive order issued on Wednesday.
The role of the accrediting bodies is to identify which educational institutions deliver high-quality instruction—thus deserving accreditation," the statement continued. "Regrettably, these accreditors have not just neglected their duty towards students, families, and U.S. taxpayers, but they have also misused their significant power.