POTUS introduced his executive order on improving free inquiry, transparency, and accountability on campus, calling it “first in a series of steps we will take to defend students’ rights.”
POTUS said his policy will send a powerful message to “professors and power structures” who want to keep young Americans and all Americans “from challenging rigid, far-left ideology.”
POTUS says federal agencies will use their grant-making authority “to ensure that public universities protect, cherish, protect the First Amendment, First Amendment rights of their students or risk losing billions and billions of dollars of federal taxpayer dollars… they’re gonna have to not have to like your views a lot.”
“If a college or university does not allow you speak, we will not give them money.”
POTUS then transitioned to talk about student loans, saying 43 million people in the US are currently working to pay off student loans, “and we’ll be talking about that very soon.”
“I’ve always been very good with loans,” POTUS said, prompting laughter in the East Room. “I love loans, I love other people’s money.”
POTUS said the average student loan borrower owes roughly $35,000 but “typically students who take loans do not have access to critical info about what career outcomes they can expect from their programs, majors or fields of study. They borrow more money than they can ever expect to pay off.”
POTUS said middle-class families are getting ripped off while tax-exempt institutions with big endowments make a fortune. “For that reason, I’m directing the Dept. of Education and the Dept. of the Treasury to file?? as detailed information on future earnings and loan repayment rates for every major and every program at every single school.”
POTUS said he is also asking (pool believes he said “asking” but hard to hear) the Dept. of Education to propose a plan that will require colleges and universities to have “skin in the game by sharing a portion of the financial risk of the student loans.” He says colleges and universities have no incentive to keep costs down.
POTUS says his administration is “fighting very hard” for students and is going to look very seriously at student loans to help students “who are just mired in debt.”
“We’ll be having some very major discussions with some of the biggest colleges and universities, and we’re gonna have them shoulder some of the rest and some of the money for you to use in order to get your education.”
POTUS signed the order at 4:07 and left the East Room at 4:08.