Higher ed accreditors have become ‘political weapon’ of the left: Trump official
Micaiah Bilger
December 18, 2025
Education Department leader promises big fixes, ‘so everybody, buckle up’
The Trump administration has bold plans to end the political “weaponization” of higher education accrediting groups, a senior Department of Education official said Tuesday.
Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent made the remarks during a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, its first under new Trump-appointed leadership, Inside Higher Ed reports.
The committee offers advice to the Secretary of Education about the “recognition process for accrediting agencies,” “institutional eligibility for federal student aid,” and related matters, according to its website.
“Instead of focusing on student outcomes and accountability to taxpayers, accreditation has functioned as a shield for incumbent institutions, or worse, as a tool for political and ideological enforcement,” Kent said.
He told the committee that the Trump administration plans to take bold steps to “correct past abuses” and “end the practice of using accreditation as a political weapon.”
