Watch: Trump Signs Order to Promote Free Speech on Campus, make colleges accountable, limit student loan debt

President Donald Trump signs an executive order Thursday that will improve free speech at America’s learning institutions by holding colleges and universities accountable when censorship or bias are allowed.

The president announced the executive order during his speech at CPAC in March saying that he would deny federal research funds to colleges and universities that do not support free speech.

“If they want our dollars and we give them by the billions, they’ve got to allow people to speak,” said Trump.

The text of the order has not yet been released, but the title sounds as if the president has kept another promise.

Watch:

• Today, the President signed an Executive Order that promotes free speech on college campuses.
• Agencies will take appropriate steps to ensure that college and university campuses are places of free thought and debate.
• The Trump Administration believes that public schools should fulfill their obligation to uphold the First Amendment and private schools should comply with their stated institutional policies regarding free speech.
• The Trump Administration believes that schools should promote free speech and be transparent about their speech policies.

IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY: The Trump Administration will ensure students have access to information they need to make the higher education decisions that work best for them.

• The Executive Order will provide students with the information they need to make smart and informed decisions about their postsecondary education.
• The Department of Education (Department) will make improvements to its mobile application so borrowers are better informed about loan balances, payments, and repayment options.
  • The Department will also expand data available on College Scorecard, including program level earnings, debt, and loan default and repayment rates.
• Access to this information and additional data will improve borrowing behavior and help students better understand their educational options.
• Improved transparency will help in the development and implementation of options that will improve student outcomes and accelerate degree completion.
  • The Department will support efforts of States and institutions to reduce barriers to degree or program completion and save students money.
• The Executive Order requires the Department to develop policy proposals that help ensure postsecondary institutions share more of the financial risk associated with student loans.
• The Trump Administration will explore options for a common sense approach to debt collection.

ADDRESSING STUDENT LOAN DEBT: Across the country, students are taking on massive student loan debt that inhibit them from prospering in today’s booming economy.

• Rising tuition and student debt levels make postsecondary education untenable for many Americans.
• Many students with loans are taking on far too much debt and pursuing degrees that do not lead to well-paying jobs, thereby making repayment difficult.
• Students need better information about prices and outcomes of postsecondary options so they can make better and well-informed choices.
• Further, improving access to data will help allow taxpayers to hold schools accountable for student outcomes.

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