On September 15, advocates including AAUP and AFT members took to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to stress the importance of continued bipartisan funding for scientific research in higher education. This action was the first of many in a new, nationwide AAUP-AFT campaign, “Higher Education: Saving Lives, Building Futures, Powering the Economy,” that seeks to defend higher education and scientific research amid the Trump administration's onslaught of political attacks and funding cuts.
The next phase of the campaign, spanning the 2025–26 academic year, will focus on strengthening AAUP chapters by supporting local elected leaders, recruiting new members, and building campus labor coalitions to connect members with other higher education workers. Additionally, through partnerships with local organizations, the AAUP will emphasize that colleges and universities are rooted in community and exist to serve the broader public good. The campaign is slated to extend through the 2026 midterm elections.
“The Trump administration’s attacks on higher education follow a well-worn authoritarian playbook. Like the courts and the press, public education is often targeted by those seeking to erode the foundations of a free society. We will not allow them to defund our institutions or dismantle the programs that create opportunity and expand access to a better future for all students,” AAUP President Todd Wolfson said.
Through phone banking, in-person and virtual visits, and letter-writing campaigns, AAUP and AFT members will continue to lobby lawmakers to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, to protect student aid programs, and to ensure that federal grants are distributed fairly and legally. They will also oppose administrative changes that threaten college and university operations and will advocate for science-based, nonpartisan oversight.