President Donald Trump said Friday he ordered the Treasury Department to review the tax-exempt status of colleges and universities, accusing many of focusing on “Radical Left Indoctrination.”
The president’s attack on institutions of higher education comes as they’re struggling with how to handle the fall term due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has dealt a financial blow to many.
“I am telling the Treasury Department to re-examine their Tax-Exempt Status and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!” Trump said in a pair of tweets made while traveling to Florida.
Trump this week has intensified pressure on schools to reopen, threatening to cut off federal funding to those that do not fully welcome back students and criticizing U.S. Centers for Disease Control guidance as too burdensome.
A full-fledged opening of K-12 schools could boost economic growth by allowing parents to return to the office, rather than stay home to care for their children.
But it could also risk exacerbating the spread of the virus, which has already seen a resurgence in several states.
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