Republicans, Back in Charge of Congress, Aim to Increase Higher Ed Accountability

Republicans are primed to ratchet up their efforts to hold colleges accountable after securing a majority in the House and Senate. With President-elect Donald Trump in the White House, the table is set for the GOP to make significant progress on a higher ed wish list that includes granting federal aid to nontraditional programs, increasing taxes on wealthy colleges, cracking down on campus antisemitism and busting the current model for accreditation, experts say. Unlike Trump’s first term, when the GOP also controlled the House and Senate, Congress will likely be more subservient to the president’s agenda, as several key Republicans lawmakers who opposed him in the first term have left office or died. Those elected in recent years are more in line with Trump.