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March 07, 2025

First100 20250307

By  Katherine Knott

Hello and welcome to another edition of The First 100 Days, Inside Higher Ed’s weekly roundup of news from the Hill to the Oval Office. I’m your host, Katherine Knott, the news editor, and it's Day 46 of the second Trump administration.

This week, we finally got an education secretary, and Linda McMahon wasted little time getting to work. We’ve heard about her “final mission”—which has a lot to do with gutting the agency—and rumors swirled about a pending order directing McMahon to facilitate closure of ED.

Now, we thought Trump would sign the executive order Thursday—as many other news outlets reported—only for the White House press secretary to say that it was “fake news.” Sigh. But we did get our hands on a draft of the executive order, and our reporter Jessica Blake has more here about the plan.

As always, remember that when it comes to plans to shut down the Education Department, only Congress can do that and nothing will happen immediately. But McMahon can still do a lot. In her “final mission” memo, she pledged to “restore the rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington.” That overhaul will “profoundly impact staff, budgets, and agency operations,” she noted. More details are forthcoming, I’m assuming.

In other news, the deadline for colleges to comply with the department’s guidance to end all race-based programming came and went last Friday. Agency officials appeared to walk back some of its sweeping guidance in an FAQ published over the weekend, and we’re still waiting to learn more about what the department will do next.

 

On tap for next week: The government will shut down Friday night if lawmakers don’t cut a deal to keep the lights on. Historically, shutdowns haven’t led to major disruptions for colleges, but it all depends on how long the funding lapse persists. We’re also waiting on judges to act on lawsuits challenging the department’s DEI guidance. (You can follow the suits via our tracker.) And of course, we are waiting for Trump to sign that executive order.

So that’s a wrap for Week 7. If news breaks over the weekend, you can find the latest at InsideHigherEd.com. In the meantime, I’ll be catching up on the Traitors finale and mastering my pickleball swing. As always, feel free to email me at katherine.knott@insidehighered.com.

Have a good weekend!

 

Did someone forward you this email and you want to receive it in your inbox? Become a member here. You can also read more about this newsletter here.

News

 
Government Politics & Elections
Draft Order Offers Hints to How Trump Wants to Shut Down the Department

The leaked draft gives higher ed leaders some idea of what could happen next.

Government Politics & Elections
‘Whiplash’ and Dread Inside the Education Department

As career department staff await a delayed executive order and imminent personnel cuts, some say morale is low and tensions are high.

Government Politics & Elections
The Future of Apprenticeships Under Trump

Proponents of apprenticeships expect meaningful support for the programs under Trump, though some worry his other policies could have negative effects on the system.

Government Science & Research Policy
NIH Nominee Skirts Questions on Plan to Cut Indirect Cost Rates

At a key hearing Wednesday, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said he’s committed to providing NIH-funded scientists the resources they need. But he offered few specifics on how he’ll do that amid Trump’s plans to slash the $47 billion agency’s budget.

Government Politics & Elections
Trump Stresses Transparency but Releases Little Accurate Data

Education scholars say the administration’s rash of cuts and lack of quality transparency will have a “devastating effect” on public policy and student outcomes for years to come.

Government Politics & Elections
Trump Administration Targets Columbia for Allegedly Failing to Stop Antisemitism

Three federal departments are reviewing contracts with the university worth more than $54 million, while a task force investigates claims of discrimination against Jewish students.

Government Politics & Elections
What Does the Education Department’s DEI Guidance Really Mean?

Over the weekend, the department dropped a new document expanding on the Office for Civil Rights’ anti-DEI directive. Legal scholars say it takes a more nuanced approach but express varying levels of hope about its outcomes.

Government Politics & Elections
Linda McMahon Confirmed as Education Secretary

The billionaire donor and co-chair of Trump’s transition team was sworn in Monday evening.

Students Graduate students and Postdocs
Ph.D. Workers and Their University Both Backed a Union Election. Then Trump Won.

The University of Rochester gave multiple reasons for backing out and leaving students to try their luck with the NLRB, which has been drastically transformed since the president took office. Other student workers are wary, too.

Government Science & Research Policy
Researchers in ‘Limbo’ as Trump Battles Courts

Despite court orders blocking Trump’s federal funding freeze, bans on DEI and other executive mandates, academic researchers are still in the dark on what all of it could mean for their careers and the pace of scientific discovery.

Quick Takes

 
Quick Takes
State Department to Use AI to Revoke Student Visas
Quick Takes
Judge: NIH Rate Cut Likely ‘Contrary to Law’
Quick Takes
NEA Sues Trump Administration to Block DEI Guidance
Quick Takes
McMahon Outlines Her ‘Final Mission’ for the Department
Quick Takes
U.S. Plans Campus Visits to Investigate Antisemitism
Quick Takes
Justices Refuse to Hear Case Against Bias Response Teams
Quick Takes
ED Shares More Details About DEI Guidance
Quick Takes
Freeze on Income-Driven Repayment Applications Will Last at Least 3 Months

Opinion

 
Opinion
Views
Anti-DEI Rhetoric Does Not Equal Legal Reality

The anti-DEI movement sounds like a row of cannons, but its legal attack is a rifle shot based on one provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Dan Currell writes.

Opinion
Views
Presidents Are Staying Busy, Not Silent

Just because presidents may not be speaking out, that doesn’t mean they aren’t advocating for the sector and their students behind the scenes, Mary Dana Hinton writes.

Opinion
Views
The Deadline That Wasn’t

Higher ed botched its response to the anti-DEI Dear Colleague letter, Steve Robinson writes.

Opinion
Views
How to Support Faculty During the Chaos

Beth Mitchneck and Stephanie A. Goodwin suggest some simple ways academic administrators can support faculty whose research and teaching are under threat.

Opinion
Views
Ed Data Goes Dark: Why It Matters

Cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences are part of an authoritarian playbook, Robert Ubell writes.

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