AAUP and AFT Call on Linda McMahon to Halt Unlawful Political Interference and Protect Academic Freedom

WASHINGTON-Today, in a direct response to Education Secretary Linda McMahon's "A National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards" (often known as "Compact 2.0"), American Association of University Professors President Todd Wolfson and AFT President Randi Weingarten issued a letter demanding that the Trump administration immediately cease weaponizing taxpayer funds and civil rights enforcement to politically coerce colleges and universities to adopt their authoritarian agenda.

Wolfson and Weingarten's letter, "A National Call to Action to the Secretary of Education," demands an end to arbitrary grant cancellations and funding threats; explicit protections for academic freedom and freedom of speech for students, staff and faculty; a rejection of government-mandated ideological censorship; guardrails for artificial intelligence; and protection for all students and scholars regardless of whether their research and opinions align with the current presidential administration.

The AAUP and the AFT have given McMahon a 30-day deadline to provide written assurance that no college or university will face federal retaliation or receive favorable treatment based on how they respond to McMahon's Compact 2.0 letter.

The full "A National Call to Action to the Secretary of Education" can be found here.

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The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.