“Worried Nerdy Scientist” sign (File Photo – Amy Barach)
In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 13, Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) condemned the T. Administration’s demand that the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) pay $1 billion in fines in exchange for the release of frozen federal medical and science grant funding.
By News Desk
As Chair of the Senate Education Committee, Pérez characterized the demand as an authoritarian move aimed at targeting California’s higher education institutions.
“President T.’s attempt to extort $1 billion from our public education system is the action of an authoritarian who is attempting to strong-arm one of the top public research institutions in the nation — in yet another effort to attack California,” Pérez said in her statement.
The controversy stems from the current administration’s decision to freeze critical funding for UCLA, a leader in medical research and scientific innovation, unless the university complies with the steep fine. The move has sparked widespread outrage among California lawmakers, educators, and advocacy groups, who argue that the demand is politically motivated and an attempt to undermine academic freedom.
Pérez, standing in full support of UCLA’s administration, faculty, staff, students, and alumni, all of whom are affected by the funding freeze, also voiced strong backing for California’s plans to file a lawsuit against the federal government to challenge the actions in court.
“We must not allow this one man to wield so much unchecked power,” Pérez added. “I will continue to stand firm in defense of academic freedom and the critical role that universities like UCLA play in our nation’s progress.”
While UCLA, renowned for its groundbreaking research in medicine, science, and technology, has yet to respond publicly to the proposed lawsuit, California Governor Gavin Newsom and other state leaders have expressed their intent to protect the integrity of the state’s public university system.
The political and legal battle is expected to intensify in the coming weeks, as both sides prepare for a potentially lengthy courtroom fight over the future of federal funding for higher education institutions.
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