Eric Wang

Just hours after University President Maurie McInnis sent an email to the Yale community on Thursday afternoon warning that new federal legislation poses “a greater threat to Yale than any other bill in memory,” several student groups began organizing to prevent the bill’s passage through the U.S. Senate.

The bill, passed Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives, would increase the tax on Yale’s endowment investment income from 1.4 percent to 21 percent. The proposal is part of a broader tax package championed by President Donald Trump, who has framed the bill, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as a way to reclaim higher education from what he calls “radical left” institutions. 

In her message, McInnis declared the coming weeks a “critical” period for advocacy. She urged members of the Yale community to contact their senators and share a set of talking points that emphasize the importance of university research, the responsible management of endowments and the impact the tax hike could have on college affordability.

Within hours of McInnis’ email, the Yale College Democrats began acting on her appeal to action.

Christian Thomas ’26, president of the Yale College Democrats, wrote to the News that the group compiled a list of students from 28 “red and swing” states and sent out personalized emails, encouraging them to call their senators to reject the endowment tax hike and oppose the Republican tax package.

“We plan to do our part by reaching out to Yalies from across the country, answering the call to action, and urging students to contact their Senators in opposition to the endowment tax,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas, who wrote that he has already made a few calls himself, believes that by working together, “we can ensure that our voices are heard and that we do our part to defend this institution.”

Eugene Covington ’28, who is involved in Yale College Democrats and the Yale College Council, said he plans to reach out to his senators in Pennsylvania — one Democrat and one Republican. 

In contacting his representatives, Covington told the News that he hopes to raise awareness about “education preservation,” in light of both the tax increase and the recent ban on Harvard international student enrollment.

Members of the Yale Endowment Justice Collective, Yale’s investment advocacy group, were similarly prompt in their response to the legislation’s passing. 

Diego Loustaunau ’27, an organizer for EJC, is reaching out to his senators in Massachusetts but argued that Yale should build local, not just national, support. 

“I’m also calling upon President McInnis and the Yale Corporation to invest in the city and expand the PILOT program,” Loustaunau wrote, referring to Yale’s voluntary financial contributions to New Haven.  “As trust in higher education declines across the country, we as Yale students should recognize that local support is, and has always been, what truly strengthens our university’s public standing.”

McInnis wrote in her Thursday email that Yale is New Haven’s largest employer and “an economic anchor” that generates $8 billion annually for Connecticut’s economy.

Yale College Council President Andrew Boanoh ’27 and Vice President Jalen Bradley ’27 issued a joint statement to the News expressing their support for students reaching out to their state’s senators, saying that they both have already as well. Boanoh and Bradley also said that they have reached out on behalf of the YCC to the Yale College Dean’s Office, Office of Financial Aid, Office of International Students and Scholars and other organizations to strategize the best way to help students.

“This aggressive action against higher education is unprecedented in scope and magnitude, and we won’t sit idly by as it takes place,” the YCC leaders wrote. “While political issues are at play in the background here, the reality for us is that these actions will affect all Yale students in a way that we won’t stand for.” 

Sophomore Class President Micah Draper ’28 felt inspired by McInnis’ public call to action. 

“As a Yale student, it was empowering to hear her call to action, realizing that she needs us, the entire Yale community, to rally behind her,” Draper wrote. 

Four students told the News that they fear the bill’s passage could lead to cuts in funding for students, including financial aid and grants. 

Thomas, who said he receives full financial aid from Yale, said the potential consequences of the tax are also deeply personal. He fears that he may not be able to continue attending Yale if its administration is forced to reduce aid in response to the endowment tax hike.

“This summer, I’m covering my living expenses all thanks to a Yale fellowship,” Thomas said. “If support like this is cut, my Yale experience will change dramatically. Everyone’s Yale experience will change dramatically.”

Boanoh and Bradley told the News that they are both on financial aid and that the bill poses “a significant threat” to the continuation of their tenure at Yale.

Draper told the News that he worries that the endowment tax could impact the amount of extracurricular opportunities that Yale students are afforded, citing that many of his “fondest, and most successful, experiences” as a Yale student have been supported by club and fellowship funding by the University. He believes that the possibility of such resources being “stripped away is chilling.”

Aside from imposing taxes on universities’ endowments, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would impact student loans by cutting direct subsidized loans, which relieve student debtors from paying interest on their loans while enrolled in school. Roughly six percent of Yale students have student loans, as of June 2024.

The current 1.4 percent endowment tax on most private universities was signed into law by Trump in 2017.