NEWS: Schiff, Takano Fight Trump Administration Weaponization of Higher Education Accreditation Process with New Bill

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39) are unveiling new legislation to safeguard the United States' higher education accreditation process from the Trump administration's regulations that, if finalized, would make it easier for educational institutions to escape accountability and sanctions.

Earlier this year, Trump officials proposed shortening the timeline around the recognition process for new accreditors and allow schools and colleges to escape accountability more easily.

The Higher Education Accreditation Accountability Act introduced today will help prevent the administration from using accreditation as a "secret weapon" against higher education.

"As the Trump administration attempts to loosen regulations to make it easier for higher education institutions to avoid accountability for failing their students and wasting federal funding, now more than ever we need to protect our students' quality of education and access to federal financial aid. While the administration claims their reforms will help students, their plans do nothing more than enable new accreditors to enter the market more quickly and potentially give unvetted institutions access to millions in taxpayer dollars. Academic quality and institutional performance cannot be undermined by this administration's political agenda," said Senator Schiff.

"Strong accreditors help to keep the American higher education system world-class," said Congressman Takano. "Institutional accreditation is meant to ensure verified educational quality and high consumer value for students. This Administration has taken steps to turn accreditation into a political tool to force ideological compliance and to allow low-quality programs access to student tuition dollars. I am proud to partner with Senator Schiff in introducing the Higher Education Accreditation Accountability Act to ensure that accreditors are credible, stop schools from evading accountability, and give students the peace of mind that an institution is legitimate."

The Higher Education Accreditation Accountability Act will:

• Require accrediting agencies that are seeking recognition from the Department of Education to accredit at least one institution or program for at least two years and demonstrate that it can enforce standards and operating procedures;
• Require schools seeking to switch accreditors to submit an application to the Department of Education showing reasonable cause for switching accreditors; applications would be subject to a public input period, while the Department of Education would be required to investigate and consider whether the school is attempting to avoid scrutiny or sanctions from their current accreditor.

In April 2025, President Trump signed an executive order, "Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education." This year, the Department of Education has promulgated regulations that will enable new accreditors to enter the market more quickly and with less scrutiny, inviting lower quality, predatory, and hyper-ideological actors to serve as the gatekeepers of millions of dollars in federal funds. The regulations also reduce guardrails around schools' ability to switch accreditors, enabling those who have defrauded students or taxpayers to evade accountability or sanctions.

Background: Senator Schiff has prioritized holding the administration accountable for its weaponization of higher education. Earlier this month, Sen. Schiff and 43 other California Democrats demanded the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescind its proposed regulation that would politicize federal grants. In April, Schiff led several Senate Democrats in urging the Department of Education to reverse its efforts to weaponize the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), the bipartisan and independent committee that advises the Secretary of Education on the accreditation process.

The full text of the legislation is available here.

A one-pager for the legislation is available here.

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