Unlike at Columbia, Trump's attack on UCLA is aimed at taxpayer money
I laughed. The president has decided to poke the bear — and the Bears and the Bruins, too. Whether Trump knows it or not, targeting the University of California is very different from going after private Ivy League institutions with deep historical ties to political power.
Pressuring UC to pay a large sum has another dimension entirely: It's going after state tax dollars paid by the people of California. This should matter to folks on the left and the right, to those who venerate higher education and those who vote in favor of states' rights against federal overreach.
Californians across the political spectrum should repurpose one of Trump's own slogans: 'Stop the steal.'
Unlike Columbia and Brown, which have paid off the Trump administration, UC is a public institution. That means, as new UC President James Milliken said, 'we are stewards of taxpayer resources.' UC must answer to the people, not just to boards of trustees or senior administrators.
Indeed, as a professor at UC Santa Barbara, I consider myself to be employed by my fellow Californians. My job is to contribute to the fundamental mission laid out in the state's 'Master Plan': to create new knowledge and educate the people of California. I take my responsibility even more seriously because I am also a product of UC; I earned my PhD at Berkeley and remain a proud Golden Bear. I am fully aware of what a positive effect a UC education can have on students and Californians everywhere.
A $1-billion payment to the federal government would have huge consequences — not only on the people's university but also on the general welfare of our state, the world's fourth-largest economy. UC is the second-largest employer in the state. We generate $82 billion in economic activity every year. More than 84% of our students come from California, and their degrees are proven to increase their lifetime earning potential. UC health centers treat millions of people every year, providing essential medical care. According to one striking study, 'The economic output generated by UC-related spending is $4.4 billion larger than the economic output of the entire state of Wyoming and $16.1 billion larger than that of Vermont.'
We accomplish that in large part with the people's money. For every dollar the state invests in us, we generate $21 of economic activity for the state. All of that activity generates $12 billion in tax revenue. We're a great engine of growth.
You'd think a self-proclaimed genius and 'self-made' business tycoon would know a good deal when he sees one.
To be sure, the supposed bases for demanding the extraordinary payment — antisemitism and civil rights abuses — are very serious. College students should expect to confront new ideas they may disagree with, but no one should be targeted for their beliefs. Full stop.
But there are more effective remedies for addressing any failures, as have already been pursued at UCLA. For Trump, though, the accusations are the pretext for punishing institutions that he doesn't like and, as the Associated Press reports, rebuking political opponents such as Gov. Gavin Newsom. They are not reflective of a genuine concern for student rights.
Many of us have already sounded the alarm about the increasing financial challenges the UC system faces. Even last year, we had reached a critical breaking point — and that was before losing federal grant money.
But we haven't given up and neither should the people. We all must fight back against this attempted seizure of taxpayer funds. It's not enough to leave the task to political leaders; the people themselves must send the message.
Californians can continue to resist federal incursions by making it clear to the UC Board of Regents, elected representatives and everyone else that Californians will not tolerate a federal pressure campaign to take our state's resources.
There are many reasons to be alarmed by Trump's broader attack on higher education. But this time, Trump has crossed the public-private boundary and set his sights on state taxpayers' money. Because we fund it, UC and everything it produces belongs to us. That means we all — no matter where we fall on the political spectrum — must stop the steal.
Giuliana Perrone, an associate professor of history at UC Santa Barbara, is the author of 'Nothing More than Freedom: The Failure of Abolition in American Law.'
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Los Angeles Times
6 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
A Congolese refugee's 8-year struggle to reunite with her family in the U.S.
BOISE, Idaho — The Congolese woman's search for safety sent her on a terrifying trek of nearly 2,300 miles through southern Africa on foot when she was just 15. Reuniting with her family has been a more difficult journey. For eight years, she clung to hope through delays and setbacks as she navigated a U.S. program that reconnects refugees with family members already in the country, and her dream of seeing them again seemed close to becoming a reality. But President Trump signed an executive order halting the refugee program just hours after he took office on Jan. 20, leaving her and thousands of other refugees stranded. 'It was horrible. I would never wish for anyone to go through that, ever. When I think about it, I just ...' she said, pausing to take a long breath. 'Honestly, I had given up. I told my mom maybe it was just not meant for us to see each other again.' 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'How we made it to the other side was only God,' she said. In Durban, South Africa, she finished school, started a tailoring business, joined a church and volunteered helping homeless people. Then in 2016, the 19-year-old got unexpected news: Her family was being resettled in the United States, without her. 'It happened so fast,' she said. 'When I left, the idea of them going to be resettled was never in the mind at all.' Her family settled in Boise, Idaho, and her mother signed her up for the 'follow to join' program in 2017. The program often takes years and requires strict vetting with interviews, medical exams and documentation. At the start of 2020, the woman was asked to provide a DNA sample, typically one of the final steps. Then the COVID pandemic hit. For the next several years, her case foundered. A social worker would send her to the local consulate, where she'd be told to go back to the social worker. 'It went on and on,' she said. 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New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
UCLA spent millions of taxpayer dollars on DEI, has professors who compared Israel to Nazis: watchdog
As the Trump administration pushes for the University of California, Los Angeles, to pony up $1 billion to settle discrimination claims, a sweeping new report has highlighted professors who compared Israeli rhetoric to that of the Nazis and accused the Zionist movement of white supremacy. The watchdog also zinged UCLA for spending at least $3 million in taxpayer money on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 'We support free expression and viewpoint diversity, but faddish, divisive concepts like anticolonialism and antiracism don't need taxpayer funds sustaining them,' said Jon Hart, CEO of report author Open the Books. Advertisement 'On campuses like UCLA, the rhetoric has caught up with reality with damaging consequences.' 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New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump will be present at Kennedy Center as honorees are announced today
President Donald Trump, embracing his new role as chairman of the Kennedy Center, was set to be on hand Wednesday as the recipients of its annual award are announced, and both he and the performing arts venue hint at coming renovations to its building. Trump avoided the Kennedy Center Honors awards program during his first term after artists said they would not attend out of protest. This year, the Republican president has taken over as the Kennedy Center's new chairman and fired the board of trustees, which he replaced with loyalists. 3 President Trump, embracing his new role as chairman of the Kennedy Center, was set to be on hand Wednesday as the recipients of its annual award are announced. AP In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump teased a name change for the center, formally the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and said it would be restored to its past glory. 'GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,' Trump wrote. He said work was being done on the site that would be 'bringing it back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment.' 'It had fallen on hard times, physically, BUT WILL SOON BE MAKING A MAJOR COMEBACK!!!' he wrote. In a statement on its social media feed, the Kennedy Center said it is 'honored' to host Trump, who will be visiting for the third time since January, and hinted that he would announce a construction project. 'Thanks to his advocacy, our beautiful building will undergo renovations to restore its prestige and grandeur,' the venue said. 'We are also excited to be announcing this year's INCREDIBLE slate of Kennedy Center Honorees.' Trump complained during a March visit that the building is in a state of 'tremendous disrepair.' 3 Donald Trump and Melania Trump attend 'Les Misérables' opening night at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2025. REUTERS It is unclear how this year's honorees were chosen, though Trump had indicated he wanted a more active role. Historically, a bipartisan advisory committee selects the recipients, who over the years have ranged from George Balanchine and Tom Hanks to Aretha Franklin and Stephen Sondheim. A message sent to the Kennedy Center press office asking how this year's honorees were selected wasn't returned on Tuesday. The Kennedy Center did post this on social media, however: 'Coming Soon … A country music icon, an Englishman, a New York City Rock band, a dance Queen and a multi-billion dollar Actor walk into the Kennedy Center Opera House …' In the past, Trump has floated the idea of granting Kennedy Center Honors status to singer-songwriter Paul Anka and Sylvester Stallone, one of three actors Trump named as Hollywood ambassadors earlier this year. Anka was supposed to perform 'My Way' at Trump's first inaugural and backed out at the last moment. The Kennedy Center Honors were established in 1978 and have been given to a broad range of artists. Until Trump's first term, presidents of both major political parties traditionally attended the annual ceremony, even when they disagreed politically with a given recipient. Prominent liberals such as Barbra Streisand and Warren Beatty were honored during the administration of Republican George W. Bush, and a leading conservative, Charlton Heston, was feted during the administration of Democrat Bill Clinton. In 2017, after honoree Norman Lear declared that he would not attend a White House celebration in protest of Trump's proposed cuts to federal arts funding, Trump and first lady Melania Trump decided to skip the Kennedy Center event and remained away throughout his first term. Honorees during that time included such Trump critics as Cher, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Sally Field. Since taking office for a second time, Trump has taken a much more forceful stance on the Kennedy Center and inserted himself into its governance. Besides naming himself chairman and remaking the board, he also has indicated he would take over decisions regarding programming at the center and vowed to end events featuring performers in drag. 3 Trump took over as the Kennedy Center's new chairman and fired the board of trustees, replacing them with loyalists. AFP via Getty Images The steps have drawn further criticism from some artists. In March, the producers of 'Hamilton' pulled out of staging the Broadway hit musical in 2026, citing Trump's aggressive takeover of the institution's leadership. Other artists who canceled events include actor Issa Rae, singer Rhiannon Giddens, and author Louise Penny. House Republicans added an amendment to a spending bill that Trump signed into law in July to rename the Kennedy Center's Opera House after Melania Trump, but that venue has yet to be renamed. Maria Shriver, a niece of the late President Kennedy, a Democrat, has criticized as 'insane' a separate House proposal to rename the entire center after Trump. Recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors are given a medallion on a rainbow ribbon, a nod to the range of skills that fall under the performing arts. In April, the center changed the lights on the exterior from the long-standing rainbow to a permanent red, white, and blue display.
