US associations of university professors ask Secretary of Education to commit to "lawful administration"

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) sent a letter to US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon asking her to commit to a lawful administration respecting academic freedom and the independence of research.

The letter was sent on 10/09/2026 in response to McMahon's letter of 03/08, which called on universities' leaders to commit to federally prescribed "essential reforms".

"Under your leadership, the Education Department has broken faith with students and violated basic principles and protections. Rather than expanding educational access and preserving academic freedom, your administration has led a coordinated scorched-earth campaign of ideological demands, funding threats and grant terminations," the associations wrote.

They…