A Coordinated Assault on Oversight and Higher Education – Cloaking Inequity

In recent months, the current presidential administration has embarked on a rapid and aggressive campaign to reshape the federal landscape, targeting equity initiatives, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, governmental accountability, oversight mechanisms, and even the foundational principles upheld by Congress and the Supreme Court. This strategy, reminiscent of the World War II “blitzkrieg” approach, seeks to attack systems and norms with unprecedented speed and intensity—before the public or institutions can organize meaningful responses.

Russell Vought’s Master Plan: Gutting the Federal Government

At the center of this aggressive restructuring is Russell Vought, who previously served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under President Trump and as the leader of The Center for Renewing America. As of February 7, 2025, Vought has been confirmed by the Senate to return as the Director of the OMB. Notably, he was the key architect of Project 2025, a comprehensive plan developed to deconstruct the federal government in line with conservative principles. Here are a few ideas from Project 2025:

• Withholding federal funds from agencies and programs deemed ideologically “problematic,” even in defiance of Congress.
• Gutting federal agencies such as the EPA, the Department of Education, and civil rights offices across the government.
• Eliminating safeguards against political interference in federal law enforcement.
• Expanding executive power while diminishing congressional and judicial oversight.
• Installing loyalists in key federal agencies to limit internal dissent and opposition.

Vought’s vision is not just about policy shifts—it’s about eroding the role of government in ensuring fairness, equity, and democracy itself. This sentiment was made chillingly explicit in a speech uncovered by Politico and featured on Last Week Tonight in the segment Trump 2.0:

“We want the bureaucratics to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning we want them to not want to go to work. Because they are increasingly viewed as the villains. We want their funding to be shut down… we want to put them in trauma.” – Russell Vought

My Appearance on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman

Recently, I appeared on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, where she asked about Russell Vought and the implications of his return to the OMB. During the discussion, I referenced the chilling quote from Vought, featured in Last Week Tonight, and explained how his approach represents an existential threat to democracy, public oversight, and higher education.

The Political Science Perspective: Democratic Erosion and the Rise of Autocracy

Recent political science research indicates that the current administration’s strategies align with patterns observed in the erosion of democratic institutions and the rise of autocratic governance. Scholars have identified a global trend where autocratic regimes are becoming more sophisticated and resilient, often at the expense of democratic norms. This shift is characterized by the centralization of power, undermining of checks and balances, and the erosion of civil liberties (CNAS.org).

The appointment of Russell Vought as Director of the OMB exemplifies this trend. Vought has been instrumental in formulating policies that centralize executive power and diminish institutional oversight. His approach advocates for a robust assertion of executive authority, often at the expense of traditional democratic safeguards (Vox.com). Political scientists warn that such consolidation of power can lead to “patrimonialism,” a system where state authority becomes personalized, resembling the leader’s private domain.

This governance style undermines formal procedures, weakens state functions, and fosters unqualified hiring and malfeasance (TheAtlantic.com). The current administration’s tactics, including the strategic placement of loyalists in key positions and the marginalization of independent oversight bodies, mirror methods employed by autocratic regimes to entrench authority. These actions pose significant risks to the foundational principles of democracy, potentially leading to a system where dissent is stifled, and power is concentrated in the hands of a few.

Now, These Tactics Are Coming for Colleges and Universities

As I discussed in the post White Flag of Cowardice: Will Higher Education Fail the Test of Leadership and History? The higher education sector, long a target of political and legal movements, is now facing the same blitzkrieg being used against government agencies. The strategic approach being used against higher education includes:

• Defunding and dismantling DEI programs in public universities through legislative action.
• Targeting faculty and staff who engage in research or advocacy on race, gender, or equity.
• Eliminating academic oversight by replacing faculty governance with politically appointed boards and presidents.
• Criminalizing student activism by increasing surveillance and police presence on campuses.
• Defunding NSF, NIH, and other research grants, crippling universities’ ability to support scientific inquiry and innovation.
• Rewriting curricula to align with nationalist narratives while erasing historical truths.
• Silencing dissent through intimidation, legal action, and funding cuts to institutions perceived as hostile to political ideology.

What Can Be Done? Talking Points for Resistance

1. Academic Freedom is a Constitutional Right – Faculty, staff, and students must be able to speak, research, and protest without political interference.
2. Universities Should Not Be Political Pawns – Higher education should remain independent of political and ideological agendas that threaten intellectual inquiry.
3. Dismantling DEI is About Power, Not Fairness – Removing equity initiatives is an attempt to silence marginalized communities and reverse civil rights gains.
4. Public Funding Must Serve the Public – Withholding billions in education funding endangers students and stifles future innovation.
5. Students, Faculty, and Staff Must Organize and Resist – University leaders must take a stand. Silence and complicity only accelerate democratic backsliding.
6. Engage Legislators and the Courts – Advocacy, litigation, and community pressure must be leveraged to challenge and resist political overreach.
7. Public Awareness and Mobilization – Educating the public about these dangers is crucial in building a movement that defends democracy and higher education.

This is a pivotal moment. Universities must not become casualties in a war on equity, oversight, and democracy itself.

And history teaches us this:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” – Martin Niemöller

We must speak up. Now.

#HigherEd #AcademicFreedom #Leadership #DEI #Democracy #RussellVought #Project2025 #HigherEducation