The Department of Education (ED) under President Trump seems to be on something of a roll this week
Katie Jerkovich recently highlighted how the messaging on social media for the start of Pride month was strikingly different from what was seen during the previous four years under Joe Biden. The widespread display of rainbow flags since June 1 was hard to miss.
Even more noteworthy was the proactive approach taken by Education Secretary Linda McMahon and her team. They not only marked the occasion but also reiterated the department’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of women and girls in sports under Title IX. This move came as the 53rd anniversary of this important measure approaches in 2025. Leveraging this moment, they intensified efforts to ensure compliance with the law.
Title IX, by outlawing sex-based discrimination in programs receiving federal funds, has significantly expanded athletic and academic opportunities for women and girls nationwide. #TitleIX
This month, we celebrate Title IX’s 53rd anniversary & will take more action to protect women’s hard-earned… pic.twitter.com/91q8BVJbqw
— U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) June 2, 2025
The Trump administration’s actions to right the many things that went horribly askew under Pres. Biden continue apace on Wednesday, as I noted, with Sec. McMahon and her department contacting the accreditor for Columbia to notify them that the university broke civil rights law during the anti-Israel protests and riots there by failing to protect “every student’s rights and safety”:
Columbia University looked the other way as Jewish students faced harassment—breaking Title VI protections. @usedgov has stepped in and alerted Columbia’s accreditor to demand the protection of every student’s rights and safety—no exceptions.https://t.co/3jswO9TTql
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) June 4, 2025
“After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University’s leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus,” McMahon wrote in the notication letter addressed to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. “This is not only immoral, but also unlawful.”
She stressed accreditors’ “enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid,” saying that they are tasked with safeguarding “which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants.” The education secretary compared their duties to that of her department, which must “uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards.”
McMahon continued with what the ED anticipates in response from the accrediting body, saying they “look forward to the Commission keeping the Department fully informed of actions taken to ensure Columbia’s compliance with accreditation standards including compliance with federal civil rights laws.”
To date, the Trump administration has withheld $400 million in federal grants and other monies from the Ivy League school over its failures to keep Jewish students and others safe from radical leftist rioters.
This is a developing story. RedState will provide updates as more information becomes available.
