If it felt like the Biden-Harris administration’s “enforcement” actions often targeted Christians, it’s because they did.
A report from Fox News highlights findings from the American Principles Project (APP), which revealed that “nearly 70% of enforcement actions executed by” the Biden-Harris Department of Education targeted faith-based and career schools.
Among those singled out were prominent Christian colleges like Grand Canyon University (GCU) and Liberty University.
The APP report pointed out that nearly three out of four punitive actions by the Department of Education focused on this small subset of schools, even though “those schools represent less than 10 percent of students in the U.S.”
“While major assaults from agencies like the Department of Justice have taken most of the headlines, we should not ignore similarly corrupt efforts in other agencies as well,” said Jon Schweppe, policy director for APP. “As our report details, the Biden-Harris Department of Education has been engaged in a long-running scheme to punish Christian colleges that are ideologically opposed to the left’s agenda. The unfair targeting of these institutions has been egregious, and it needs to stop immediately.”
With the Biden-Harris administration’s tenure nearing its end, the incoming Trump administration is poised to review and reverse many of these bureaucratic overreaches. However, the policies and personnel left behind could still pose challenges.
Both Grand Canyon University and Liberty University were hit with unprecedented fines under the Biden administration. According to the report, these fines were “significantly more than all penalties imposed over the past seven years combined,” including those levied against institutions like Penn State ($2.4 million) and Michigan State ($4.5 million) for their involvement in high-profile sexual abuse scandals.
Grand Canyon University is currently appealing a $37.7 million fine from the Department of Education over alleged documentation issues. During a House Appropriations Committee hearing, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona vowed to shut down GCU, labeling it a “predatory school” that preys on first-generation students.
The APP report further revealed that at least a dozen Christian colleges have faced “excessive penalties” or were “banned from receiving federal student aid.” The average fine for a Christian school under the Clery Act was $815,000—far exceeding the $228,571 average fine for public and private institutions.
Fox News also highlighted one instance where the Biden administration lost its legal battle against GCU. The Education Department denied the university’s nonprofit status, even though it had been approved by the Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education, the IRS, the State of Arizona, and the Higher Learning Commission. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the Department of Education “unlawfully applied an incorrect standard” to GCU’s nonprofit designation.
Despite these findings, a federal official told Fox News that a school’s religious affiliation does not influence the department’s enforcement actions.
