Due to concerns about COVID-19, the AAUP office has transitioned to telework. Please contact staff by email.
Due to concerns about COVID-19, the AAUP office has transitioned to telework. Please contact staff by email.
The Trump administration’s budget proposal for the 2018 fiscal year would make drastic cuts to education, slashing federal student aid and research funding. The proposal, released May 22, fleshes out the “skinny budget” released by the administration in March.
The plan proposes deep cuts in the following areas:
This budget proposal, if enacted, would damage teaching, research, and student access to higher education, especially access for low- income students and students of color. At the same time, it would give big tax breaks to the rich. We believe that colleges and universities are a public good and that learning and the search for truth are vital for a functioning democracy. Cutting education funding as proposed to pay for tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations is grotesque.
Fortunately, the Trump administration cannot unilaterally impose these cuts; the final 2018 budget will be the product of what are likely to be prolonged negotiations with the House and Senate, and many legislators have already taken issue with different aspects of the proposal. However, it is also the case that some of the Trump budget proposals are similar to past proposals made by the Republicans who control Congress; it is imperative that higher education supporters work together to mitigate the damage as the budget process unfolds. We are heartened that organizations as diverse as the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, the American Council on Education, and the American Federation of Teachers have come out against the proposed budget cuts, as have many disciplinary associations. We will continue to work in coalition with these groups and others to protect our higher education system.