US university-professor associations call for reform to "counter Trump’s far-right attacks on higher ed"

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have launched a policy platform ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections "to counter the Trump administration’s far-right extremist attacks on American higher education and secure a strong future for public colleges and universities".

The new framework, titled “A Blueprint for Strengthening and Transforming Higher Education” and released on 28/04/2026, outlines a vision where colleges and universities are treated as an indispensable public good crucial for a functioning democracy rather than corporate entities, as the associations described.

The two associations are calling for "a fundamental shift in how the nation values its academic institutions".

“Together, the AAUP and the AFT are fighting to make higher education the public good it should be: affordable and accessible, not a privilege for the wealthy; a central hub for world-leading research; a driver of a vibrant democracy.”

The framework they propose relies on three key pillars:
• Restored funding: A sustained reinvestment in…