In what critics are calling a theatrical display of entitlement, all twelve members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board—handpicked by the Biden administration—resigned en masse this week, furious that President Donald Trump dared to reassert oversight over a taxpayer-funded program long accused of drifting into ideological activism.
The resigning board members, many of whom previously served in senior roles in the Biden White House or on Democratic campaigns, claim the Trump administration violated “academic freedom” by scrutinizing dozens of Fulbright awardees and halting the issuance of scholarships to select candidates for the 2025–2026 academic year. In reality, the administration’s actions reflect a return to accountability, ensuring that U.S. scholarship dollars are not used to advance agendas hostile to American interests or values.
According to a senior State Department official, the idea that a board stacked with partisan appointees should retain “final authority” over who receives Fulbright awards—particularly when those decisions ignore national priorities or executive directives—is absurd. “These were Biden’s political allies,” the official said. “It’s ridiculous to believe they’d have unchecked control over a federally funded program under a new administration.”
The Fulbright board’s resignation letter, posted online and promptly amplified by sympathetic media outlets, laments that over 1,200 foreign recipients are undergoing an additional review. But given rising concerns over foreign influence, academic radicalism, and lax vetting, the Trump administration’s approach is hardly extreme. It’s responsible governance.
What the board frames as “meddling” is in fact lawful oversight. Fulbright scholars represent the United States abroad—and with that comes the expectation that recipients align, at minimum, with the spirit of U.S. values and interests. If past boards rubber-stamped individuals whose views were hostile to American policy or democratic norms, it’s no wonder the current administration is applying the brakes.
The list of resigning members reads like a roll call from a DNC strategy session: Jen O’Malley Dillon, who ran Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign; Vinay Reddy, Biden’s speechwriter; and others with deep partisan ties. Their decision to quit rather than operate within the bounds of Trump-era policy speaks volumes. This wasn’t about academic merit—it was about political control.
At its core, this episode underscores a broader reality: many of the institutions that once claimed to serve the public have grown accustomed to serving themselves. When challenged—when expected to operate within the law and under new leadership—they collapse into protest and cry “censorship.”
But taxpayers don’t fund the Fulbright program so that a select group of ideologically aligned elites can run it unchecked. They fund it to promote genuine mutual exchange and diplomacy—not grievance politics masquerading as scholarship. President Trump’s insistence on restoring standards and rejecting bias is not just justified—it’s long overdue.
Who gives a s___?
Eliminate the Fulbright Scholarship Fund altogether by simply ending all funding. Then make the people involved register as agents of foreign countries, most likely China. All government funding (aka U.S. taxpayers money) for foreign and domestic students must end.
Hooray Victory