The doors are closing in on Tax Exempt Status for Higher Education in America – and COVID may be the trigger.
Attacking school systems for "radical left" policies last week, the President issued a threat to use the IRS to remove tax except status as schools around the country weigh whether they can reopen safely in a few months without putting staff and students' health at risk.
"Too many Universities are about Radical Left Indoctrination, not Education," Trump tweeted. "Therefore, 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!"
The IRS, which is part of the Treasury Department, would be tasked with conducting a review of their tax-exempt status, but federal law bans the agency from targeting groups for "regulatory scrutiny based on their ideological beliefs".
Tripp Umbach recommends that colleges and universities both individually and collectively fight this move by raising their voices and demonstrating their vital role in advancing the US economy by examining impacts created by their tax-exempt existence. Even in the best times, our economy depends on higher education – and during what are likely to be the darkest economic days in recent history, this potential shift should be met with informed resistance.