Yale Daily News

As the Trump administration escalates national funding cuts and scrutiny of higher education institutions, Yale and the City of New Haven have adopted markedly different counter-strategies.

While New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker has pursued public confrontation, challenging the administration through lawsuits and in press conferences, University President Maurie McInnis has prioritized a quieter approach: legal caution and strategic lobbying. 

McInnis’ public comments have been limited. On Tuesday, she signed a statement, along with over 360 other university leaders, denouncing “government overreach and political interference” on campuses. In February, she publicly warned against and condemned potential National Institutes of Health funding cuts.

“Together with our home city of New Haven, we have weathered the storms of every moment — the breeze of public criticism, and the winds of change,” McInnis said in her inaugural address.

For some alumni and faculty, Yale’s quietness weakens its moral leadership and collective defense of higher education. But former Mayor John DeStefano, who is also a current lecturer in the political science department, sees McInnis’ approach as strategic restraint — distinguishing the city’s role in “bearing witness” to harmful public policies from the University’s preparation for a fight he believes is inevitable.

Navigating federal pressure

Since President Trump’s return to office, Yale and New Haven have each encountered federal actions that test their values and operational stability, from suspended federal grants to student visa revocations.

Elicker responded swiftly and publicly. In March, the city joined a multistate lawsuit challenging the freeze of more than $30 million in federal environmental grants. That legal action followed another suit over sanctuary city policies.

In mid-April, Elicker stood alongside Senator Richard Blumenthal to denounce student visa revocations. He then criticized the Trump administration for targeting international students and for their “shocking irreverence to democratic institutions and America’s people.” Blumenthal praised Elicker for remaining “steadfast and strong…  against the encroachment on democracy that we are seeing day after day after day.”

On Thursday, Elicker celebrated in a press release a preliminary injunction order that will prevent the Trump administration from withholding funds from the city if it refuses to abide by federal immigration enforcement policies. The order will enable New Haven’s police department to focus on crime instead of being “commandeered to do the work of the federal government,” Elicker said.

McInnis, facing similar disruptions, has taken a different route in her first year of presidency. She recently revised plans for an inaugural “vision speech,” citing a climate of heightened scrutiny toward higher education. She took time to respond to threats to international students and has formed a committee to better understand skepticism towards higher education. 

“We are in a different and more complicated moment,” McInnis previously told the News.

Since then, rather than emphasizing public statements, McInnis has led efforts to quietly advocate for Yale’s interests in Washington, she said — expanding the University’s federal relations team and emphasizing Yale’s national contributions in science and education.

McInnis did not respond to a request for comment on changes to Yale’s recent lobbying efforts and how the University is preparing for potentially more aggressive federal directives.

In recent interviews, she has described Yale’s approach as pragmatic and focused on influence over optics. 

“What I’m trying to do is… be out there advocating for our mission, advocating for the work we do,” McInnis told the News in April.

Conflicting community expectations

McInnis’ cautious strategy has drawn criticism from members of the Yale community. Over 6,200 alumni and around 900 faculty members have signed letters urging the University leadership to take on more substantive action and a public stance against federal pressure.

“A strategy of keeping one’s head down… is doomed to fail,” a letter from alumni read. “Eventually Yale will land in the crosshairs. And when it does, there may be no one left to defend it.” Signatories urged Yale to take on a leadership role among peer institutions “before it becomes a target.”

Former Mayor John DeStefano, reflecting on the city and university’s unique approaches, believes that both approaches — speaking out and working behind the scenes — reflect each institution’s responsibilities.

“I don’t think it’s a matter [of] Maurie McInnis didn’t file a lawsuit and Justin did,” he said.

New Haven must take on the important role of “bearing witness,” of “speaking up and explaining why a policy is objectionable and what its cost may be to civil society,” DeStefano believes. 

“The work of the city is, frankly, much deeper in this issue of speaking truth to power and supporting community-based organizations,” he said.

For DeStefano, Yale is prudently preparing for the moment when more direct engagement becomes necessary. He is confident that when it does, the University will be prepared for the challenge.

DeStefano suspects that if the federal government were to direct demands made against other universities — such as to cease diversity programming, crack down on student protests and reform admissions processes for international students — to Yale, the university would react more similarly to Harvard’s assertive response rather than Columbia’s quick concessions.

DeStefano cited Yale’s similarities to Harvard — a wealthy endowment and a wider “tolerance” for student behavior. Harvard chose to resist the administration’s demands, while Columbia conceded, only for Trump to escalate his pressure.

“Yale hasn’t been put to the test yet in the same way…. They know what’s coming their way, and this is a fight that’s going to happen,” DeStefano said. “Everybody knew it was coming when Maurie McInnis was selected as president, right?”

Elicker, meanwhile, has maintained his public posture. 

“Now is the time to put our foot on the gas of resistance,” Elicker said in a press conference last week. “In New Haven, we will continue to stand up for what is right and push back to protect our most vulnerable residents.”

Elicker took office in January 2020.