"Amid increased pressure from President Donald Trump and widespread funding cuts, Bay Area universities have poured millions of dollars into lobbying the federal government this year. The Trump administration has sought major changes to higher education institutions across the country, with efforts to remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs, prohibit transgender athletes from female sports, stifle pro-Palestine student protests and slash millions in research funding."
"According to federal lobbying disclosure forms, the University of California spent nearly $2 million in its attempts to influence Congressional leaders during the first two quarters of 2025 - close to the nearly $2.2 million the university system spent on lobbying efforts for all of 2024. Stanford University also intensified its efforts, spending $330,000 on lobbying expenses during the first two quarters of 2025 - compared to the $440,000 the university spent for all of 2024."
Bay Area universities sharply increased federal lobbying spending in early 2025 amid pressure from the Trump administration and widespread funding cuts. The administration pursued policies targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, prohibiting transgender athletes from female sports, suppressing pro-Palestine student protests and reducing research funding. The University of California spent nearly $2 million in the first two quarters of 2025, close to its total 2024 lobbying outlay. Stanford spent $330,000 in the same period. California State University reduced its spending to about $310,000 in the first half of 2025. Nationally, institutions spent about $9 million in Q1 2025 and more than $9.7 million in Q2.
Read at The Mercury News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]