With President Trump today signing an executive order that would shore up protections for free speech on college campus, the Heritage Foundation’s Jonathan Butcher, a senior policy analyst in the Center for Education Policy, offered the following statement:

“The administration’s executive order has the right balance. It addresses an urgent problem—free speech that is increasingly threatened on campuses across the country—while reining in the potential for federal government overreach."

“Federal agencies will now be responsible for protecting free expression while staying within the bounds of existing law, as directed in this order.”

“Now, the administration and Congress should turn their attention to reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. And state lawmakers should do more to encourage universities and colleges to remove restrictive speech codes, preserve academic freedom and adopt mission statements that show a commitment to protecting the First Amendment’s right to free speech.”