AFT and AAUP Launch Campaign to Protect Higher Education from Cuts

The Campaign, Uniting AFT and AAUP’s 400,0000 members, Kicks off with News Conference, Six-Figure Digital and TV Ad Buy and Lobby Day on Capitol Hill

Major National Campaign to Safeguard Higher Education Launched by AFT and AAUP

WASHINGTON—The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) have initiated a significant national effort focused on shielding higher education from political and fiscal threats. Representing one of the largest alliances of higher education workers, the campaign, titled “Higher Education: Saving Lives, Building Futures, Powering the Economy,” is designed to run through the 2026 midterm elections.

This initiative opposes the Trump administration's efforts to cut funding and eliminate programs, aiming to promote a vision of higher education as a democratic and accessible public benefit. The campaign's debut featured a press conference with researchers, advocates, and members of Congress, alongside a six-figure digital and TV ad campaign, and lobbying activities on Capitol Hill. AFT and AAUP members called on Congress to maintain bipartisan support for scientific research funding, which plays a crucial role in health advancements and educational opportunities.

As the midterm elections approach, the AFT and AAUP plan to galvanize their 400,000 higher education members to protect critical academic work and enhance the education system, ensuring it provides opportunities for all students.

Randi Weingarten, AFT President, stated: “Our members teach classes that transform students’ lives, and they run labs that result in lifesaving medical research. They create opportunity and strengthen communities. But their crucial work is now under siege. Devastating funding cuts are halting medical discoveries and slashing support for students—all as political retribution from an administration that wants to redefine and limit opportunity and control knowledge. This higher education campaign is aimed at protecting our students, faculty and communities, including those who are suffering from debilitating diseases and businesses in need of a knowledgeable and skilled workforce. The AFT and AAUP’s 400,000 members are ready to take this campaign from their campuses to the streets and the ballot boxes. When we fight for colleges and universities, we’re fighting for everyone, because higher education is a public good.”

The administration's tax policies have resulted in more than $300 billion in cuts to student aid, with severe reductions in federal science funding. Surveys show 95 percent of voters want the U.S. to lead in medical research, yet grant cancellations are hindering studies on critical diseases like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.

AAUP President Todd Wolfson remarked: “The Trump administration’s attacks on higher education follow a well-worn authoritarian playbook. Like the courts and the press, public education is often targeted by those seeking to erode the foundations of a free society. We will not allow them to defund our institutions or dismantle the programs that create opportunity and expand access to a better future for all students. Higher education plays a critical role in advancing knowledge, fostering civic engagement, and promoting social and economic mobility—it is essential to a healthy democracy. Together—through advocacy, legal action, organizing and public mobilization—the AAUP and AFT are building collective power, and we are making real progress. We are fully aligned in this campaign: to put students first, protect lifesaving research, safeguard institutional autonomy, and ensure that higher education remains a public good and a cornerstone of democratic society.”

The campaign seeks to inform lawmakers and the public about the consequences of cuts to institutions like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). AFT and AAUP members will actively lobby for:

• Increased funding for the NIH and NSF in fiscal 2026.
• Maintaining the current formula for grant fund distribution, preventing unilateral changes by the administration.
• Ensuring federal grants are distributed based on independent scientific processes, free from political influence.
• Protecting access to education by opposing cuts to student aid programs like Pell grants and income-based repayment plans.

In addition to advocating at the federal level, members will engage in local actions to counter program cuts and layoffs, lobbying for legislation that supports and enhances higher education. They will continue legal battles and strengthen partnerships with student, civic, and business groups.

As part of the campaign efforts, AFT and AAUP aim to influence the 2026 elections, supporting candidates who champion a pro-higher education agenda.

During the campaign’s launch, Annelise Mennicke from UNC Charlotte's Violence Prevention Center emphasized the importance of federally funded research in preventing violence, which is now threatened by funding uncertainties. NIH funding advocate Lauren Kerner recounted her brother's participation in a groundbreaking clinical trial, stating, “Daniel’s story shows what is possible. It is up to Congress to ensure that possibility turns into cures—for the children and families who cannot wait.”

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The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.

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